Side by Side
by MZephyr
Summary: RanmaxAkane. Alternate universe story in which Ranma and Akane are cursed to change into each other's identical twin. Sequel to Togetherness.
1. Practicing Pranks

**Side by Side  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Sequel to _Togetherness_. Alternate universe story in which Ranma and Akane are cursed to change into duplicates of one another.

* * *

_Brief recap of what has gone before_ - On the morning before Ranma was cursed, Akane slipped during her morning bout with Kuno and was struck in the head, leaving her in a coma. Her spirit found itself sharing Ranma's body, and with him experienced being cursed, getting Shampoo's Kiss of Death, and the accident with the dragon's whisker. The magic of Jusenkyo, looking inside Ranma for the best pattern on which to construct his female form, caused Ranma's cursed form to look just like Akane. During the two weeks before the return to Nerima, Ranma and Akane got to know one another fairly well, even to the point of becoming friends.

Meanwhile back in Nerima, Nabiki has reformed due to her role in Akane nearly dying, Tatewaki Kuno was arrested, Kodachi Kuno was shipped off to live with other relatives, and Furinkan High School gained a new principal and vice principal.

When the Tendo family learned of the resemblance of Ranma's curse to Akane, they decided that he was magically destined to revive her from her coma, which he did with a kiss. A side effect of Akane being present in spirit with Ranma when he was cursed is that now Akane also bears a Jusenkyo curse, which transforms her into a copy of Ranma's male body. Feeling somewhat more light-hearted after her near brush with death, Akane has decided to adopt a clothing style similar to Ranma's, and for the two of them to share a hairstyle, to make it difficult for people to distinguish between their cursed forms and the other's original body. Kuno was released from prison, and Akane convinced Ranma to train her more thoroughly in martial arts.

* * *

**Chapter 1. Practicing Pranks**

It was early on a Tuesday morning, so early that the birds were still twittering in the dawn chorus. Ranma Saotome awoke, as he had on too many occasions in the past, to find himself flying through the air. As he sailed out through the window of the Tendo guest room which he shared with his father, Genma Saotome, he heard his old man's irritating voice shouting. "Time to wake up, boy!"

Cursing, Ranma righted himself to land feet first, noting as he did that his old man was jumping through the window after him. With a groan he saw that he was going to land in the koi pond rather than on the lawn, but that was only to be expected. Genma had naturally aimed himself at the grass well short of the pond, far enough back to escape the large splash when Ranma hit the water.

Spluttering, the young martial artist leaped out of the water, barely noticing his transformation into the black-haired twin of Akane Tendo, the girl whom everyone insisted on calling his fiancée. With a snarl, he called out, "Dammit, pop! Whaddya go and do that for? I got other plans this morning!"

"Stop whining!" Genma demanded, launching a kick which his son ducked. "You sound ..."

"... like a girl," Ranma finished. "Can't you think of any fresh insults? That one just sounds stupid since I _am_ a girl right now."

"Oh, to think that my own son would call himself a girl," the older man complained, while launching several rapid punches in succession. "I'm so humiliated!"

Ranma leaped over the last of the punches, did a handstand on Genma's head, then dropped behind his father and kicked him in the back. Genma went flying into the pond, the cold water of which instantly activated his own curse, transforming him into a panda bear. The bear sat in the water for a moment, struggling to draw breath back into his lungs.

Ranma smirked, arms crossed in front of his chest. "If you ask me, you should be more worried about the humiliation of being beaten by this 'girl'." Pointing his thumb at his chest he continued, "Now like I said, I got other business this morning." With that Ranma spun on his heel and marched back into the house.

He got inside just in time to meet Akane, his alleged fiancée, coming down the stairs. Akane was dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, with a peaceful look on her face until she caught sight of her damp mirror image striding toward her. One eyebrow twitched menacingly.

"Ranmaaa ..." she growled through gritted teeth.

"What?" He looked around innocently, unable to determine the cause of her anger.

Akane clenched her hands into fists. "Listen. I'm more or less used to the idea that your curse changes you into my double. But ..." Her hand swept out, gesturing to the vicinity of Ranma's chest, indicating the soaking wet t-shirt which very clearly had no bra beneath it. "If I _ever_ catch you _flaunting_ yourself again, when you look like me, I will pound you flat! Do you understand?"

"Cool down, Akane," Ranma replied weakly, not wanting to deal with her temper this morning. "Pops threw me into the pond like this. Wasn't my idea. So if you're gonna pound anyone flat, it oughta be him." He gave her a quick look up and down. "Speaking of pounding, why don't you go change into a gi? I want to have a workout with you before breakfast."

Akane drew back in surprise, her irritation forgotten. "A ... a workout? This morning? I ... I was thinking of starting up my morning jogs again. You really mean it? We're going to train this morning?"

Ranma's lips curved up in a lopsided smile. "Yeah. I gave you my promise that I'd train you, and I'm gonna keep it. Don't worry about the jogging, I'll have you doing plenty of running. To and from school to start with, and up on the fences before long."

"Oh," Akane responded, in a quiet voice.

Ranma nodded, smiling reassurance as he told her about the plans he'd been making. "I still need to work out with my pop every day, so I'll train with you this morning and spar with the old man this afternoon, then we'll switch it around tomorrow and every day after that. You and I will do more training after dinner. And on weekends. I'll do more sparring with my pop on the weekend, too. Once I have you up to a point where I think you can handle it, you'll join me and pop for our workouts. 'Fraid that might be a while, though."

"Oh," Akane said again. She gave a small nervous laugh. "It's just ... I worked so hard to convince you to train me, and now you're planning to spend more time on it than I ever expected." She cocked her head to the side. "Are you sure that your dad will be willing to spar with me? He's got a pretty low opinion of girls, you know."

Ranma couldn't help the snort which exploded from him. "Yeah, I do know. And I expect it'll take some time for me to wear him down and talk him into it. On the other hand, it's not like you'll be ready for it right away, so it probably won't matter. As for how much time we'll be spending on the training ..." Ranma paused and shook his head. "I wish we could spend even more time on it.

"Think about it," he continued. "You've convinced me I have to try to train you up to something approaching my level. I've promised I'm gonna do it. But you _know_ by now how hard my pop worked me, day after day, for the last ten years. You're getting some things, like my strength as a male, pretty much for free. But it's still gonna take an awful lot of work."

Akane flushed. "I'm not that bad ..."

The boy standing before her sighed and shook his head. "You're not _bad_ at all. You're damn good, in fact. But you gotta face the fact that you ain't nowhere near my level. You gotta face that in order to do something about it, and we _have_ to get your skills up closer to mine. You were right, after all. Somebody might come after you, thinking you're me."

Akane sighed, then smiled. "Guess I'd better go get into my gi then. It _is_ what I asked for, after all. Though something tells me I may have bitten off more than I realized." Still smiling, she turned and ran lightly back up the stairs.

Ranma followed more slowly, to change out of his wet underclothes and to get dressed. "You sure have," he whispered. "I tried to warn you, but ..." he smiled, "I guess we're both committed now."

* * *

Ranma and Akane entered the family room and knelt at the table to eat their breakfast. They were dressed identically, in black slacks and blue Chinese shirts, and each had a long black ponytail hanging down behind his or her head. Thankfully for the peace of mind of the other people around the table, they were in their proper genders, instead of looking like either male or female twins who were difficult to tell apart. Or at least, everyone assumed they were in their proper genders. It was always possible that both of them were in their cursed forms.

Akane was groaning softly, her muscles still protesting the treatment Ranma had given them in the dojo that morning. Despite the fact that Ranma was busily defending his food from his father, he still spared a glance for the girl as she finished and prepared to stand. Reaching out to stop her, Ranma said, "Take another helping of rice and soup, Akane. I'm gonna have you burning off a lot more calories than you're used to."

Genma took advantage of the momentary distraction to nab a pickle slice. However, as his son's words sunk in, his features twisted in confusion, and Ranma seized the opportunity to steal the pickle back. "What d'ya mean by that, Ranma?" he asked. Then his eyes widened in enlightenment, and he slapped his son on the back. "Well done, m'boy! But we'll have to have the wedding right away. You shouldn't be doing that before you're married."

The two teenagers stared at him blankly, but Akane's father projected his aura in the form of a demonic head. "You slept with my baby girl?!" he hissed.

Akane and Ranma both turned red, and spluttered indignantly. "Of course I haven't!" the young man shouted. "Where the hell did you get that idea?!"

Nabiki was trying not to laugh. "I think it was your comment about helping Akane to burn off calories, Ranma-kun."

The boy stared at her for a moment, then turned to glare at his father. "I was talking about training her, you idiot! In martial arts. That's what we were doing this morning. Out in the dojo. She needs to get better, fast!"

Genma turned an interesting shade of magenta. "D'you mean to say that you walked out on our morning exercise so you could waste time training a _girl_! What the hell is wrong with you, boy!"

Akane grew even angrier than she had become at the accusation of having slept with Ranma. In chopped tones, she queried, "Tell me, _Saotome-san_, how many people have you pissed off in the past, who might show up someday to get even?"

"I?" Genma replied haughtily. "I have always been a model of virtue. It isn't my fault if people misinterpret my noble intentions. In any event, that has nothing to do with ..."

"Just answer the question," hissed Akane, interrupting. "How many?"

"I suppose there might be five or six I parted with on poor terms," admitted Genma innocently.

"More like five or six _dozen_," muttered Ranma.

Akane nodded sharply. "And just what's going to happen if they show up here, decide to take it out on your _son_ instead of you, but I happen to have been hit with water and they see me instead?"

Soun paled as the implications suddenly struck him. Kasumi and Nabiki also started to look worried.

Genma merely sneered. "And whose fault is it that you look just like him? You're the one who decided to wear the same clothes. You decided to wear your hair just like his. You wanted to play a prank on us, and now you're complaining 'cause it might get you into trouble you can't handle."

"Stupid pop," murmured Ranma, letting Akane carry on the argument. She heard the quiet mutter, and barely avoided rolling her eyes at how Ranma had conveniently forgotten the difficulty she had faced convincing _him_ to give her this training.

The young woman now looked at Ranma's father in scorn. "Oh, _right_," she sneered in turn. "Someone with a grudge against you from a couple of years ago is going to show up, see 'Ranma,' and then he's going to stop and say, 'Oh, wait! Those aren't the clothes that Ranma is supposed to be wearing. That isn't the hairstyle that Ranma is supposed to have, that I have no way of knowing about since I haven't seen him in two years. Goodness me! It looks exactly like Ranma, but obviously it can't be him!'"

Genma's face darkened further at her mockery. "It isn't _my_ fault you're cursed to look like him! And it's Ranma's duty to protect you! He'll deal with any riff raff who show up!"

Akane leaned forward, not backing down at all. "It doesn't matter whose _fault_ it is, although I might point out that _you're_ the one who dragged Ranma to Jusenkyo. But Ranma can't be beside me every minute of every day!"

She looked ready to continue the argument, but her father Soun suddenly stood up. He was looking very worried. He grabbed Genma's elbow and walked out of the room, forcing the other man to go with him. As they went through the doorway, Soun was heard to say, fiercely, "I need to talk with you, Saotome-kun."

As the men left the room, Nabiki turned to Ranma and cleared her throat. Her eyes were full of concern, but her voice was like drawn steel. "Forget everything your idiot father said, Ranma-kun. You'd better do the best job you possibly can training my little sister, or else. I almost lost her once. It better not happen again and especially not because someone was after you instead. If it does, then you'd better find a very deep hole to hide in. And you better pray that I never find you."

Ranma swallowed nervously. Akane just said, quietly but firmly, "Nabiki ..."

Kasumi cleared her own throat, causing the eyes of the others to turn to her. The oldest of the sisters looked Ranma in the eye, and in a terrifyingly quiet voice stated, "Pray that _neither_ of us ever find you."

The young man cast his eyes down, and hoarsely said, "Look, I promised her I'd train her the best I can. I keep my promises. From what I saw this morning, there's a few quick things we can do immediately, some adjustments in her forms, that will give Akane a big boost over just the next couple of weeks. But after that it's gonna take time. I didn't get to be as good as I am overnight, y'know!"

Akane laid a hand on Ranma's wrist. "It's okay. We're both going to work hard. Don't worry about my sisters."

Nabiki gave Ranma a hard look which said without words, "Believe me, you had better worry." Seeing that the message was received, she swallowed the last of her coffee, then announced, "I've got to be going. Unlike you two, I prefer to walk to school in a leisurely fashion. I'll leave the sweating to you." She stood and left the table.

Akane sighed, saying wistfully, "I suppose we should be getting ready to go too."

Ranma's hand reached over to stop her once again as she prepared to rise. "You still haven't had your extra helping. Go on. Eat up."

She pouted. "Are you sure? I don't want to get fat."

Ranma laughed. "Don't worry, the way I'm planning to work you, there won't be any danger of that." He stopped to look her over critically, causing Akane's cheeks to color lightly. In a measured tone, he told her, "If anything, you don't have enough fat. Hadn't really thought about it before. Lots of solid muscle, but you ought to have a bit more padding. Oh well, not much to be done about it right now."

Akane stared at him incredulously, not quite certain how to take that. Ranma reached over and served her the additional helpings himself. It was only when he threatened to start feeding her that Akane forced herself out of her trance and began eating. As she ate, the two fathers reentered the room, Soun looking stern, and Genma appearing frazzled. Nothing else was said about Ranma training Akane. The two youngest finished their meal quickly, and then went off to get their school bags.

They met again in the upstairs hallway. "So, we're going to run all the way to school?" Akane asked for confirmation.

"Yep," Ranma answered. "You set the pace this morning. Run as fast as you can, at a speed where you think you can get to the school without being winded. Keep in mind you're not fully recovered from the two weeks your body was stuck in bed. After I see what you think you can manage, I'll start setting the pace and expect you to keep up."

Akane nodded, determined to show him that she could manage a strong speed despite his words of caution. At the same time, she was feeling a little bothered by the way that he was making all of the decisions, bossing her around. Yes, she wanted him to train her. But she didn't want him to think that she was the sort who would meekly do everything she was told.

On the other hand, she didn't want to raise objections to his ideas regarding the training. At least not yet. It had been hard enough convincing him to do it in the first place. It would probably be best to even hold off on making suggestions about the training for the time being. But that meant she had to find some other ways in which to take the initiative. Now then, what ... Akane's mouth slowly smiled, as they headed down the stairs.

"Ranma?" she addressed the boy beside her.

"Yeah?" he asked, as they took the bentos Kasumi handed them and headed out the door.

"You remember we talked about playing pranks on people, swapping places and that sort of thing?"

"Okay, yeah." Ranma eyed her speculatively.

Akane shrugged. "I was thinking that we ought to start simple. Nothing elaborate. Just swap places and see if we can keep anyone from noticing. It shouldn't be too hard since no one, or almost no one, at school knows about our curses."

"So, just switch places for one of our classes? That what you mean?" Ranma inquired, making sure he understood.

Akane nodded. They had reached the gate, and she broke into a fast trot, then sped up a bit more. "I was thinking we could stop by Doctor Tofu's clinic on the way to school for some water to switch places. We sit in each other's desks for History, then slip back out between classes and switch back. Nothing major."

Ranma thought about it, then shrugged and nodded, seeing no harm. Or at least, figuring that if they couldn't manage this, they certainly wouldn't get away with anything more elaborate. "Sure, I'm game. Just remember not to act too smart."

Akane smirked. "And you try to remember not to fall asleep. At least History is the one subject you don't seem to be too far behind in. So you shouldn't make me look too bad if you're called on."

Ranma stuck his tongue out at her, and they fell silent, concentrating on running.

* * *

It was almost _too_ easy, Ranma thought to himself. Tofu had looked at them with resignation as they poured water on themselves and appeared to switch places. In the schoolyard, the boys had greeted Akane as "Ranma" and Akane's friends had welcomed him. Yuka and Sayuri had noticed nothing, even though they knew about the curses. They had sat at each other's desks, and even congratulated themselves on remembering to swap school bags back at the clinic, so no one would notice they had each other's notebooks. Pretending to be Akane was a piece of cake.

"Tendo-san! Are you paying attention?"

Ranma sat bolt upright from the slumped position he had been sliding into. "Yes, sensei! I've heard every word."

Most of the other students were staring at him in surprise, and then a wave of tittering broke out. Ranma flushed. Okay, so "Akane" had been called out publicly for daydreaming, was that any reason for everyone to react so ... then it hit him. When he answered the teacher, he'd used the pronoun that he was accustomed to using for himself. Not merely masculine, more than merely informal, it fit the tough guy image he liked to project. It was not something that the real Akane would ever say, especially when talking to a teacher. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Akane, in his form, bury her face in her hands.

The teacher couldn't resist a small dig. "I suppose that the clothes really do make the man. Or the girl. Try to stay awake, Tendo-san." He returned to the lesson, and Ranma forced himself to stay more alert.

* * *

When the first period finally came to an end, Akane and Ranma both ducked out to take advantage of the short break between classes. Stepping into restrooms appropriate to their current genders, they poured themselves cups of hot water, ignoring the stares from the other students who had also stepped into the restrooms between classes. Carrying these cups back out into the hall, they found a deserted corner and splashed themselves, switching back to their true forms.

Akane gave Ranma an exasperated look. "Baka! You've got to be more careful. Watch your language! And try not to get me into any more trouble."

The boy hung his head. "Yeah, yeah. Guess it ain't as simple as I thought it'd be."

The sight of his chagrin softened her emotions. The girl stopped berating him and sighed. "I suppose we really ought to practice before we do this again. It's probably just as well that the teacher didn't call on me in class. I think that I'd at least have remembered what gender I was ..." Akane paused to shoot him another exasperated look, then shook her head. "But I probably wouldn't have managed to talk the way people expect you to."

"So you think we should practice talking like each other?" Ranma asked, unconvinced.

Akane nodded. "Yeah. I still want to be able to pull this off. Let's spend some time on it tonight after training. We each try to talk the way the other would, and correct each other. Then we can try changing places again tomorrow."

Ranma shrugged. "Okay. History again?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't want to do the same class every time. Why don't we try English tomorrow? Right after lunch."

Ranma agreed, and they hurried back to class before the bell could ring.

* * *

"Okay, I'm gonna set the pace this time. You ready?" Ranma asked.

"Mm-hmm," Akane hummed, as she placed her school bag on her back the same way that Ranma had his.

With that, Ranma took off running through the school gate. Akane followed right beside him. He was setting a strong pace, but one that she could maintain without becoming winded. The pair raced together down the street.

They didn't head straight home, as Ranma wanted the run to be a bit longer than the direct route. They ran up the stairs to a pedestrian bridge, and back down on the other side. They diverted through a park, where she and Ranma leaped over several benches as if they were hurdles. They ran up the long flight of steps to the public library, only to turn right around and run back down them.

Ranma was keeping a close eye on Akane. He decided it was time to start for home, and turned the next corner to head in the proper direction. She was still right there at his side, her breathing still under control, though perspiration was glistening on her forehead and upper lip.

Akane's eyes suddenly widened. Turning his own eyes back forward again, Ranma gave a small groan as he recognized the figure of Tatewaki Kuno on the sidewalk up ahead. He and Akane turned down the next side street, but it was too late. Kuno had already seen them and was giving chase. On his own Ranma was sure he could have lost him, but he didn't want to press Akane that hard yet. Resigning himself to the inevitable, he turned to face the crazed kendoist. A corner of his mind paused to wonder why Kuno was carrying a bokken while walking around the city, and whether that wasn't a technical violation of his parole. At least he wasn't wearing hakama, which would have looked even more strange.

Tatewaki paused to strike a pose, holding the bokken in an explicit threat. "Stand and fight, enslaver of the fair Akane," he demanded forcefully. "I shall fell thee, and so free her!"

"You really need to get a grip, man," Ranma responded tauntingly. He dodged the first strike, and kicked Kuno hard in the chest. As the latter fell backward, several stiff rectangles flew out of his shirt pocket.

Somewhat startled, Ranma plucked the objects from the air. They turned out to be photographs, showing Akane in gym class. Most of them seemed to be scenes from a volleyball game, which he remembered the girls were playing in class yesterday. As he continued to study the photos, Akane's voice suddenly shouted, "Look out!"

Ranma looked up to see the bokken thrusting straight at his face. He jumped backward, letting the blade slice the air above him, as he rolled along the sidewalk and came to a rest at Akane's feet. She looked down to see him looking up at her.

"Pay attention to the fight, baka!" she hissed at him. "Kuno is too skilled to let yourself be distracted!"

Ranma looked up along Akane's legs and to her face beyond. She was right but he didn't want to admit it. For some reason this prompted him to tease her. "You know, it's a good thing that you wear pants to school these days. Otherwise, I'd know the color of your panties right now."

Akane's face reddened and flames lit in her eyes. "Go back and _die_!" she yelled, and kicked him in Kuno's direction.

As Ranma fell toward Kuno, he saw the other boy grin manically, eyes practically glowing. Suddenly, the bokken was thrusting out, over and over again, with Kuno crying, "Strike! Strike! Strike!" Ranma twisted in midair, barely avoiding the blows, feeling the wind of the near misses tearing at his clothes.

Akane watched with huge eyes, springing to the side, as the mailbox on the sidewalk beside her crumpled from the air pressure of the thrusts. Ranma witnessed this out of the corner of his eye, and turned his face back to call, "Dummy! Stay out of the way of the fight!"

Ranma somehow knew in that moment that Kuno's bokken was about to strike him in the side. He didn't question the knowledge, merely allowed his body to instantly react and bend out of the way, just as Akane shouted, "Eyes _front_, baka!"

The dodge caused the blade to miss him by millimeters, leaving Tatewaki momentarily exposed. Ranma kicked several times in less than a second, striking Kuno repeatedly. The taller boy blinked a couple of times, then toppled over like a felled tree.

Akane walked up to join Ranma, the two of them ignoring the stares of the pedestrians who had stopped to watch the duel. Starting for home once more, Ranma carefully stepped upon the prone body of his fallen opponent in passing, and Akane followed suit. In fact, she carefully placed one of her feet where it would cause the greatest pain for Kuno once he awakened.

As they walked, Akane looked over to the boy beside her and remarked, "I didn't think you were going to be able to dodge that last blow. I didn't think I warned you in time."

Ranma shrugged. "I don't think you did. I must've seen something in your eyes, I guess."

Akane let it pass. Out of simple curiosity, she asked, "What was it that distracted you during the fight?"

Wordlessly, Ranma reached into his pocket and pulled out the photographs, showing them to her. Akane looked at them, growing puzzled. "Why do you have pictures of me playing volleyball?"

Ranma shook his head. "Not me. Kuno had 'em. They fell out of his shirt when I kicked him."

Akane paled. "B-but ... Nabiki said she stopped selling him pictures of me. She ... how could she, after everything that happened, everything she said?"

"Maybe they're from back before you were hurt?" Ranma suggested, trying to calm her.

Akane shook her head, becoming upset. She pointed at one of the photographs, showing her spiking the ball right in front of one of the other players. "I remember that from yesterday," she whispered angrily.

As soon as they got home, Akane confronted Nabiki. The older sister took the photographs and studied them.

"I can understand why you'd be angry with me," Nabiki told her sister softly. "_If_ I had taken these. But I didn't. I'm not the only one with a camera, Akane. Now that I'm not selling him photos, Kuno must have found another supplier."

The anger faded from Akane's eyes as she realized that she believed Nabiki. In fact, she felt relief as a tension which had gripped her stomach disappeared. She frowned and asked, "Who took them, then?"

Nabiki shrugged, not knowing the answer. "There are plenty of people at school who take pictures. Most of them are perfectly legitimate, like the members of the yearbook committee, or just people who want their own memories. If you'd like, I can try to find out who's selling to Kuno, but I can't promise how quickly I can do it."

Akane sighed. "Thanks anyway, oneechan. And if you do find out, let me know. I'd like to ... _talk_ to him. Or her."

Her sister nodded. "Will do. I might have a talk with him myself." Nabiki thought to herself that it might be a good idea to do something to remind people that she wasn't to be taken lightly. She might have shut down her old, shady business practices, but she had started some new, more legitimate ventures - information consulting, for example. She was steadily establishing a new power base, and it would be good if people were aware of that.

* * *

In English class the next day, the two tried it again. Akane, in male form, was trying to walk the fine line of paying attention to the lesson, while simultaneously trying to act like she wasn't. It was harder than she'd thought it would be to keep alert without taking notes. Akane allowed herself to slump a little further down in her seat, the way she thought Ranma would sit. Looking sideways through narrowed eyes, she could see that he was sitting upright, at her desk, although his eyes did seem to have a slightly glazed look to them. Akane allowed herself a small, internal gloat. Pretending to be Ranma was trivial, as long as she didn't have to talk.

The girl allowed her thoughts to drift away from the class, which after all was entirely in character for the boy in whose shape she currently resided. After the fight with Kuno yesterday afternoon, she had watched Ranma training with his father. It had taken an effort not to feel envious of the skill he displayed. Ranma really was quite a sight to see, working out like that.

They had enjoyed another training session in the dojo after dinner, although this time Ranma had Akane concentrate on her kata, with some basic speed training exercises thrown in for variety. When they finished, they had remained out in the dojo and practiced acting like one another. It had actually been fun, despite the need to occasionally stop to make corrections, although her concentration on the task had wandered now and then. For example, at one point Akane had lost the thread of the conversation while watching a bead of sweat roll down Ranma's neck and disappear into the V at the front of his gi.

The young woman shifted uncomfortably in her seat at the memory, and decided to think about something else. In doing so, Akane remembered Hiroshi thrusting something into her hands, thinking she was Ranma, just as they entered the classroom after lunch. She had shoved it into the desk without noticing anything more than to identify it as a manga. With a snort she remembered how Ranma had confessed to her that he had decided to accept Hiroshi's offer of friendship despite the fact he had said something stupid on Ranma's first day of school; that he seemed to be an okay guy aside from being a bit of a pervert. Akane was able to accept that since, in her opinion and with the possible exception of Ranma, _every_ boy at Furinkan was something of a pervert.

She didn't want to think about perverts. Instead, she considered indulging her curiosity about the magazine. Akane decided it was wholly natural for Ranma to read a manga during class and she was, after all, supposed to be Ranma right now. She pulled the comic back out of the desk and slipped it between the pages of her English textbook. Looking at the cover, she saw that it was a doujinshi based on _Sailor Moon_. Akane smiled. She had loved _Sailor Moon_ back when she was twelve.

Akane settled herself to read, hoping that the author had captured the flavor of the original. Upon opening to a random page near the beginning, Akane's eyes bulged, her mouth fell open and she felt her cheeks burst into flame. She had _never_ imagined Usagi doing something like _that_ with Tuxedo Mask! At least not like that! And with Rei! She quickly closed the textbook, barely avoiding slamming it shut. She looked around a bit wildly, seeking normality, trying to banish the images from her mind. This attempt utterly failed.

The abrupt movement attracted some attention. In particular, Ranma looked up at her from where he was sitting in her form, his eyes wide with inquiry. Akane's imagination substituted his male head for Tuxedo Mask and hers ...

With dawning horror, Akane realized that her pants were suddenly feeling tighter. She tried shifting position, but that did nothing to stop the definite tent which was forming in her lap. The current-boy sat up swiftly in her seat, and leaned forward, trying to hide what was happening. Her resolution suddenly much greater, Akane turned her thoughts away from the manga, and toward anything else. English, martial arts, hiking through the Bayankala Mountains. In desperation, even Tatewaki Kuno.

None of it seemed to do any good. She couldn't seem to get her mind off the incredibly stiff feeling in front of her, and it seemed determined to remain like it was. Looking down at the desktop, Akane thought that alien _thing_ felt so enormous that everyone around her _must_ have noticed and be smirking in her direction, not that she dared to look. She prayed that the bell wouldn't ring before this "problem" went away.

"Saotome-kun, could you please tell me the past tense of the English verb 'go'?"

Akane gritted her teeth, wondering if something might be wrong with her male body, that it seemed stuck like this.

"Saotome-kun, answer the question, please. The past tense of 'go'."

‹Come on, Ranma!› Akane snarled mentally. ‹This one's easy. Just answer the damn question!›

"I'm speaking to you, Saotome-kun! Or do I need to send you to the board to write down the full conjugation of the verb?"

With a shock of understanding, Akane remembered whose body she was currently wearing, and that the teacher was therefore speaking to _her_. The threat of being sent to the board in her current state caused her to panic. "_Went_!" she shouted, at the top of her lungs. Managing to reign her voice back in, she clarified, "The past tense is 'went,' sensei!"

"That's correct," the teacher replied, then sighed. "There's no need to be that enthusiastic about it, however."

"S-s-sorry!" Akane responded, and melted in relief as the teacher turned to another student. Then a broad smile crossed her face as she realized that the _problem_ had disappeared without her even noticing. She caught sight of Ranma staring at her again, out of her own face, one eyebrow raised, obviously puzzled about what was wrong.

The bell finally rang, and Akane leaped to her feet, more than ready to return to her natural gender. Ranma had trouble keeping up as she fled the classroom. They slipped into the home ec classroom, currently empty but the location of Akane's next class, and quickly switched back to their true forms.

"So what was all that about, back in class?" Ranma wanted to know.

Akane blushed. "N-nothing. Just forgot who I was supposed to be, for a moment."

Ranma cross his arms and eyed her skeptically. "Didn't sound like it to me," he proclaimed. "You'da just been embarrassed, in that case."

"I said it was nothing!" the girl replied with some heat. "Now unless you're planning to stick around for home ec, you'd better get moving." Just at that moment, several other girls drifted into the room, and looked at Ranma in surprise.

He emitted a low, muttered grumble, and gave Akane a look which clearly stated his disbelief in her claim that it was nothing. Nonetheless, she was right that he was going to be late for his own class if he didn't get moving. With one last look back, he headed out the door. Akane surreptitiously wiped some sweat off of her forehead.

* * *

"Oof!" Akane grunted as Ranma's heel struck her in the gut. She fell backward and collapsed to her knees, struggling to breathe as her sight dimmed. Ranma suddenly appeared in front of her, looking anxious, one hand on her shoulder.

Ranma had sparred with his father before breakfast that morning, so it was Akane's turn now. She and Ranma had arrived home from school less than half an hour ago, and had been training in the dojo ever since.

"You okay, Akane?" he asked, his voice tinged with worry.

She gave a nod, and managed to gasp, "In ... a ... moment."

After a few seconds she was breathing more steadily, and the sunlight streaming in through the windows of the dojo was bright once more. Ranma looked at her seriously, then said forcefully, "Dammit, the block you should have used against that kick was straight out of the kata we practiced earlier. It should have been automatic. Why are you so distracted this afternoon?"

Akane's face was already flushed from the effort of recovering her breath. Now her color deepened. There was no way she could tell Ranma what was wrong. He'd never let her live it down. Just as he'd made his move, she'd had a sudden, vivid memory of the pictures from Hiroshi's perverted doujinshi, and she had paid the price for letting her concentration waver.

"It was nothing," she told him airily, "just woolgathering, that's all."

"Nothing, huh?" Ranma repeated with some asperity. "Like whatever happened in class was nothing? Seems like you're getting distracted by a lot of nothing today."

Akane's blush deepened. "Yeah, well ... blame it on that jerk Hiroshi. He gave you, meaning me, a hentai doujinshi." She gave him a severe look. "I thought better of you than to read stuff like that!"

Ranma snorted. "Yeah, I told you he was a bit of a pervert. I usually just throw that crap away when he hands it to me."

Akane gave him an evil glare, then cocked an eyebrow. "Usually?"

Now it was Ranma's turn to blush. "Hey! Sometimes I'm a little curious ... 'Sides, this ain't about me. We were talking about what's on _your_ mind. You telling me you ain't paying attention to training 'cause you're still thinking about what you saw in that thing earlier?"

She dropped her eyes. "It's not that."

Ranma refuse to relent. "Okay, then what _is_ it?"

Akane bit her lip. She really didn't want to talk about this. On the other hand, even if they didn't switch places on purpose, she was going to find herself stuck as a boy from time to time. Such an incident might happen again. Ranma at least should be familiar with the way his body worked, and might know what to do about it. Unbidden, her mind summoned up a memory from a month ago, when she had explained some of the more intimate details of what it meant to be female to the freshly cursed Ranma. As embarrassing as it might be, perhaps it was time for the favor to be returned.

In a slow, halting voice, Akane began, "Well, uh, you see, what happened was ..."

A short time later, both teens were scarlet and looking anywhere else except at each other. The worst of it, from Akane's point of view, was that Ranma hadn't been able to offer any advice other than the practical, "think about something else." Which of course Akane had tried, useless as it had proved.

Ranma's voice came out mildly hoarse, though not from having talked too much. "So, uh, does this mean you want to stop switching places?"

Akane thought about it. "No," she finally said with a sigh, looking down at the floor, then back up at him. "Someday I might find myself in a situation where I _have_ to pretend to be you. It only makes sense to practice first when it's under our control. Besides, even if we don't do it on purpose, that's not going to stop us getting splashed by accident."

The young man in front of her grimaced. "Suppose so. Still, you want to wait another day, or maybe 'til next week?"

Akane shook her head. "No, we'll try again tomorrow. But I think we'll try gym class at the end of the day. That way I'll be too busy to think about anything other than what we're doing in class."

"Oh maaan ...," Ranma complained. "I've seen what you girls wear in gym ..."

Akane couldn't help a little laugh. "Yeah, I know. Bunch of perverts running the school." She gave him a little pout. "Pleeease?"

Ranma turned away. "Urrrgh. Okay, okay!" Then a thought struck him. "Uh, what about the locker rooms?"

The girl's mind froze. No _way_ was she going to change in the boys' locker room, even if she _was_ a boy at the time! "Uh ... uh ... I guess ... we hide out until everyone else has changed. We can say we had to use the restroom. We each check that the coast is clear before we go in the locker rooms to change." She grimaced. "No. We get our clothes and take them with us to the restrooms and change there. But we wait long enough that we can get away with letting people think we changed in the locker rooms."

Ranma tilted his head, considering. _Maybe_ it would work. "What about after?" he asked.

"We wait outside and talk," Akane answered. "Act like there's something important we have to discuss. Keep it up until we're sure everyone's finished in the locker rooms. Then grab our clothes and change in the restroom again. After we change we get some hot water and switch back. Or ... we could just wait until we get home to switch."

The boy sighed. "This sounds like a lot more trouble than History or English."

Akane grinned. "I agree, but I still want to try. Maybe after we try it this way, we can figure out a way to manage better next time. If not," she gave him a wry grin, "maybe we'll agree not to try again."

"You mean, _you'll_ agree not to try it again." Ranma took a deep breath. "All right, we'll try gym tomorrow. Now, if you think you're ready to _focus_, can we get back to training?"

Akane jumped back to her feet, eyes dancing. "Yes, sensei."

Ranma climbed to his feet more slowly, grumbling. "Don't call me that. Makes me feel old."

* * *

In gym the next day, the girls were playing baseball. From where the boys were working out on the horizontal bars, Akane looked over to see Ranma, looking like her in very short shorts, standing in the outfield. Her lips twisted up into something approaching a smile at the sight of the shorts. Ranma had seen no reason to hold back on expressing his feelings about having to wear them. Turning back to the task at hand, she jumped up to grab hold of the horizontal bar, feeling the strength of Ranma's body in her arms. Moving with increasing speed, she swung herself around and around the bar.

While Akane was busy on the horizontal bar, several boys in the class watched the baseball game instead of "him." Or more accurately, they watched the girls playing the game, most of them drooling over the person they _thought_ was Akane. As Akane finished her routine on the bar and dropped off, she walked over to join them to see how Ranma was handling being in the girls' class. She sank to a cross-legged position between Hiroshi and Daisuke just as Ranma caught a fly ball and his team headed in for their turn at bat.

Daisuke leaned in close to Akane. "Hey, Saotome, you gotta stop putting us off about Akane. People want to know."

Hiroshi also leaned in, and put a hand on Akane's shoulder. "Yeah, so come on and level with us. How far have you two gotten?"

Daisuke added, "After all, you are her fiancé, right?"

Akane was turning red, and only barely controlled herself from giving her identity away. "No we're not! Besides, Akane's a decent girl and wouldn't do that sort of thing, even if I was enough of a pervert to try!"

Hiroshi chuckled, "Oh, yeah, like we're gonna believe you haven't tried anything. I'll bet you've ..." He leaned over and whispered in Akane's ear.

Akane became even more red. "No I haven't!"

Daisuke sneered. "Liar. Have you ..." He also leaned over and whispered in Akane's other ear.

Akane choked, shouting "No!" She was forcing her fists to remain in her lap, telling herself that she had to pretend to be Ranma, and couldn't just pound these two perverts into the ground. It never occurred to her that others would consider it perfectly believable if Ranma were to do just that to them.

There was a crack in the distance as Akane turned to Hiroshi and through gritted teeth told him, "Look, Akane's a nice girl and she and I ..." Whatever else she was going to say was lost as a baseball smacked into her cheek.

Hiroshi stared at Akane, who was sitting there looking dazed. "Hey Saotome, you've got karate reflexes right? I mean, couldn't you have dodged that ball?"

Akane worked her sore jaw for a few moments before fixing the idiot beside her with a high intensity glare. "Guess I had something else on my mind," she ground out.

Ranma came running up in Akane's body. "Er ... um ... sorry 'bout that."

Akane sighed, glad that at least she was wearing Ranma's body at the time, since she had already learned that it was a lot tougher and could shrug off blows like this more easily. Ranma had told her that his training would toughen up her female body as well, but that they had to work up to it slowly. Akane wanted to yell at Ranma for his carelessness but was concerned about how it would look to lose 'his' temper with a 'girl.' Not to mention that 'Akane' would likely stand there meekly instead of reacting the way that 'she' should. With difficulty, the real Akane swallowed the incipient outburst and just muttered an irritated, "Apology accepted." She reflected that lately she was getting a lot of practice at controlling her temper, a lot more than she really wanted.

The boys' gym coach came over and examined Akane's cheek. "That's a nasty abrasion Saotome-kun. It's bleeding a little. You'd better go see the nurse and get something put on it." He turned to Ranma. "You're his fiancée, right, Tendo-san? Would you please go with him and make sure he really does go see the nurse? I've already noticed he's a bit heedless of his health at times."

Akane smirked at this description of Ranma. Ranma just grunted and said, "Yeah, I'll see that he gets there." He took Akane's elbow with his hand and helped her to her feet, then the two of them set off together toward the school building.

Ranma was feeling a bit self conscious now that his mind wasn't on the baseball game. The shorts he was wearing really were incredibly tight, and showed off far too much in his opinion. At least, that was his opinion while he was the person inside of them. Trying to distract himself, he turned to Akane and told her, "I really am sorry. About the ball. Y'know I wasn't aiming or nothing? It was an accident."

Akane grimaced but replied, "I know it was an accident. I just wish we hadn't traded places for gym. I'd rather that I had hit the ball, and you were hit by it."

Ranma smirked. "Gym class was your idea, not mine." He glanced at her, but then turned back again. It was going on three weeks since Akane had awoken from her coma to find herself cursed, but it was still rather unnerving to see _himself_ walking beside him.

Akane growled, "I still think it was a good idea. How was I to know you'd hit me with a stupid baseball?"

They arrived at the nurse's office, where the nurse put a little ointment on the injury, and then taped a pad over it. She told them, "There, that should hold for a bit, but I think you should have a doctor look at it. Just in case."

By the time they left the nurse's office, all of the other students had finished changing in the locker rooms. At Akane's suggestion they did not yet switch their identities back, since it might give the game away if Akane were seen leaving the school in her true form with a bandage on her face. So they both simply changed back into their usual clothes and then left the school together to walk over to Tofu's clinic.

When they reached the clinic they were surprised to see a panda out front, sweeping the walk. Ranma asked, "Pop, what are you doing here?"

The panda looked up and regarded the person who had spoken, and who was therefore presumably his 'son.' He held up a sign on which he had written, "Boy, why are you walking around as a girl?"

Ranma looked down at himself, having forgotten that he was in his cursed form and had traded places with Akane. "Eh, guess I forgot. We were playing a prank. Besides, you're one to talk, panda-san. Anyway, we need to see the doc. Keep on working, old man. 'Bout time you did something useful." He ignored the bear's growl as they walked inside.

A few minutes later Doctor Tofu ushered the couple into an examination room. As he did so he took a closer look at the one wearing Ranma's face and scowled, then stepped back out of the room. He came back in with a kettle of hot water and said, "How about the two of you return to your proper bodies?"

Each of them sheepishly poured some water on themselves, restoring their true forms. Ranma apologized with, "Sorry doc. We were backwards when Akane got hit with the ball. If we changed before leaving school, someone may have noticed that Akane was wearing the bandage instead of me. So we decided to wait till we got here before switching back."

Tofu just grunted and peeled the bandage off of Akane's cheek. He examine the bruised skin and said, "I have a balm that works wonders. Just a moment and I'll fetch it." He stood and left the room again.

While they waited, Akane turned to Ranma and spoke acidly, "By the way, I just remembered. Just _what_ do you and your _perverted_ friends talk about when I'm not around? Do you have any _idea_ what they were asking 'you' about 'Akane' while we watched the game?"

Ranma shrugged. "How could I know when you were the one over there talking to 'em. But yeah, you're right, they are perverts, aren't they? I've admitted as much before. They're not so bad once you get past that, and I usually start making threats when they go too far." Ranma cocked an eyebrow at her. "Why were you letting them go on about it, instead of defending 'Akane's' honor?"

Akane got a little red, and kicked her feet where they were hanging over the edge of the table. "I didn't want to look like I was overreacting. I figured you let them talk like that."

Ranma shook his head. "Nah. Next time, threaten to punch 'em if they don't shut up, and go through with it if they keep it up. They won't have any trouble believing I'd do that." He then gave her a calculating smirk. "And as long as we're on the subject of friends asking perverted questions, just before my turn at bat Sayuri sort of leered and asked me if I've 'touched _it_ again, yet?' I'm kinda curious what 'it' she's referring to, and a hell of a lot more curious to hear the explanation of the word 'again.'"

Akane was sure that her blush extended all the way to her toes. Like a gift from heaven, the telephone chose that exact moment to ring. "Um, Ranma," her choked voice managed to force the words out. "Maybe you should answer that."

The young man looked for a moment as if he were contemplating not letting her get away with this evasion, but then realized it might be useful to him later to set certain precedents now. He stepped out into the hallway, and Akane heard the phone stop ringing and the soft murmur of Ranma's voice. A moment later he came back into the room and said, "That was Kasumi. She wanted to let Tofu know that she's coming over and she has something to give him."

Ranma was wholly unprepared for the look of terror which shot across Akane's face. "Go get Tofu and tell him to hurry up with that balm!" the girl demanded. She reached a hand out to Ranma's shoulder and pushed. "Go, go! We need to get out of here!"

"What's the rush?" Ranma wondered in a bewildered tone, hesitating at the door.

"Please, Ranma," Akane begged. "Doctor Tofu ... gets a little strange around Kasumi. It's dangerous to be here when it happens."

The boy gave her a disbelieving look, and his mouth dropped open but no words came out. Shaking his head, he left the room in search of the doctor.

Ranma came back in, holding Tofu's sleeve, practically dragging the doctor along. "Now Ranma," that man was saying, "I don't see why you're in such a hurry."

He sat down beside Akane, setting aside the jar he was holding for a moment, and began another examination of her injury. "You said that a ball did this? A baseball, right? I can see the impression of the stitches."

"Yeah, that's right," admitted Ranma sheepishly, dragging a toe along the floor. "I'm afraid I hit it really foul."

Tofu regarded Ranma with a small flash of anger in his eyes. "Are you saying that _you_ did this to Akane? Why weren't you more careful?"

"Please, doctor," Akane pleaded. "It was an accident. I was lucky, too. Since I was in my cursed form, it didn't hurt as much as it would have otherwise."

"Mmm," Tofu grunted noncommittally. He picked up the jar once more and said, "I'm going to put some of this on now. You should apply some more before bed, and again tomorrow morning. I think you'll be fine after that."

At that moment the door to the examination room suddenly slid aside, and Kasumi stepped in, carrying a box. Her sprightly voice called out, "Good afternoon, doctor!"

Akane jumped off of the table in panic, landing on the other side of Ranma. Tofu's glasses fogged up as he stuttered, "K-Kasumi." He reached out across the table and grabbed Ranma's head. "Now hold still, Akane" he said sternly, and there was a cracking sound, as Ranma's head was unexpectedly tilted at a sharp angle.

Kasumi put her hand to her mouth, while saying, "I though I just heard something ..." She and Akane tilted their heads, studying Ranma's angled features, and Kasumi asked, "Are you okay, Ranma-kun?"

Tofu laughed in a silly way, and responded, "Oh, he and Akane just stopped by because of a little baseball accident, ha ha!"

"Um, doc?" Ranma wheezed.

Continuing to stare vaguely over Ranma's head toward the older girl, Tofu asked, "What ... uh ... what brings you here?"

Ranma watched bewildered as Kasumi attempted to present the doctor with a plate of cookies, only to have the man first think that she was giving him the cloth cover as a mask, then that the plate was meant to be eaten. As he attempted to get the doctor's attention again, Akane clamped a hand over his mouth, whispering, "Shh! You'll only end up worse."

Tofu turned to his skeleton and politely requested, "Excuse me, Saotome-san. Could you bring some tea for Kasumi?"

The panda, who had appeared in the doorway, whipped out his sign and wrote, "Hey! Over here!" He then shrugged and stepped back out to get some tea.

Kasumi turned toward Akane, who was standing with her back to a wall. She remarked to her younger sister, "Tofu-sensei is so amusing, isn't he?"

Akane grimaced, then put on a false smile. "You think so? He's never this way when you're not around." Trying to keep the smile pasted on, she grabbed Ranma's arm and the jar, then tugged him toward the door. She was whispering, "Come on, Ranma. We've got to get out of here while we're still in one piece."

When they stepped through the gate and into the street, they had to push past a crowd of people who were staring in through the gate. As they left, Ranma heard the people muttering, "Wouldn't get _near_ that doctor now!" "Right, Kasumi's in there." "Yeah, an exam could mean your life." "And he's usually such a _good_ doctor!"

"I see what you mean about him being dangerous," Ranma complained. "I wish we'd got out of there faster."

"Yeah," Akane mumbled, looking at the ground. "He likes Kasumi so much, he goes insane whenever he's around her."

"Wow!" Ranma exclaimed, regarding the road ahead of them from his tilted perspective. "Good thing your dad didn't try to engage you to him instead, huh? With him so crazy for your sister?"

He was unprepared for the high intensity glare Akane turned on him, or the book bag which slammed into his head, smashing him into the wall. By the time he climbed back to his feet, Akane was already some distance down the street. He felt the lump on the side of his head, then experimentally moved his head back and forth a couple of times. Ranma grinned at the realization that his neck was no longer stuck at an angle. He ran to catch up to Akane.

When he finally reached her, Akane had turned off of the road. She was sitting on the bank of the canal, watching the water flow past. With the level of the road well above her head, it was a more private location than might have been expected.

Wondering if she was still mad at him, since he wasn't sure what he had done, Ranma asked hesitantly, "Mind if I sit here?"

Akane, sitting there with her arms around her knees, didn't answer. She did, however, shake her head negatively to indicate that she didn't mind. Ranma sat down beside her. Neither spoke for a while as they continued to watch the water. Any passerby who stepped close enough to the slope to see them would probably have stopped and stared, given the sight that the two teenagers presented in their matching Chinese clothes and with their hair in the same style.

After several minutes, Ranma noticed the jar that Akane was still holding. Pointing to it, he asked, "Aren't you supposed to put that on your face?"

Akane shrugged, not seeming to care.

"Want me to do it for you?" he asked, still wondering what was bothering her.

Again Akane didn't answer, but the hand holding the jar tilted very slightly in his direction. Ranma took the jar and unscrewed the lid. Scooping out some of the mixture with two of his fingers, he started gently smoothing it into the injury on Akane's face. He saw her wince once or twice while he worked, but tried to be as gentle as he could.

Akane sat there and felt her emotions seething within her, like waves crashing back and forth, battering her from the inside. She had long known that Doctor Tofu loved her sister Kasumi and would never feel that way about herself, that he saw her as a girl, not a woman. But there was a difference between knowing something and admitting it. For a long time she had tried to avoid seeing Tofu in the same room as Kasumi. Now she felt unable to hide from the knowledge, and it hurt. On the other hand, it didn't hurt as much as she expected, and that was bothering her a lot as well.

The other thing that was disturbing her, more than she cared to admit, was the boy sitting beside her. The boy who was tenderly applying the medication to her face. The cream itself felt cool and soothing, but the tracks left by his fingertips seemed to burn. She felt unexpectedly aware that her father wanted her to marry Ranma, something that she had no intention of contemplating at this time. She was also troubled by her familiarity with what he looked like undressed, knowledge gained first by sharing his body and then more recently from her curse.

She also wondered if he was as troubled by his similar but reversed knowledge of what she looked like. Somehow, Akane felt unable to muster the outrage to regard him as a pervert for that. She had come to know him too well, from the inside-out as it were, to think that. Furthermore, she was uncomfortably aware that her own thoughts along those lines might be more perverted than his.

"Akane," Ranma spoke quietly from beside her, as he slowly screwed the lid back on the jar. "Can you tell me what I said that got you all mad?"

Akane hung her head, feeling a little guilty. After all, Ranma hadn't known that those words would hurt her. Maybe it was time to relieve herself of some of the distress roiling her gut, like lancing a wound. In a very soft voice, almost a whisper, she began.

"When I was twelve years old, a new doctor opened a clinic in town, Doctor Tofu Ono. Kasumi took me there one day when I sprained a wrist while breaking boards. He was so nice. I really liked him.

"I got injuries pretty regularly while training, so I saw a lot of him. He was always treating me for something or other. He was kind, and gentle, and he showed a sympathy, a concern, for my troubles. The sort of concern that daddy hadn't shown us for years. I guess I sort of fell in love with him. I suppose most people would say it was a ... a crush." Akane sighed.

"Kasumi usually came with me, and I saw the way that Tofu-sensei looked at her. It made me so jealous, because I wanted him to look at _me_ that way." Akane reached back and patted her hair. "I started growing my hair long because Kasumi had long hair, and I thought maybe that was what the doctor liked. I kept hoping that one day he would notice me, in that way.

"Then high school began, and the boys started attacking me in the mornings. Suddenly it seemed like all of the boys my age were perverted jerks who thought I would be attracted to someone who fought me, who could overpower me. After that, it seemed like Tofu-sensei was the _only_ male I could safely think about in that way. I built up elaborate fantasies of how he would propose to me, and I'd parade him around in front of the idiots at school, and tell them _this_ is how a _man_ behaves. I built him up until he was the only man I could imagine ever loving. And I pretended to think that he might fall in love with me someday because he always treated me so sweetly and gently whenever I saw him."

Ranma for once made the right decision, and kept his mouth shut, letting Akane pour out her heart to him.

"And I ... I was so ... very, very careful never to stick around when Kasumi and Tofu were together. As long as I avoided any chance of seeing him look at her, any risk of seeing that silly grin spread across his face, then I could continue to imagine that it might happen.

"Until this afternoon ...

"I couldn't pretend anymore. There's no hiding from the fact. Doctor Tofu is madly in love with Kasumi, that's why he starts acting so crazy around her."

Ranma couldn't keep silent. "That's ... people don't act like that around someone they love. Do they? That's nuts!"

Akane smiled weakly. "That's ... Doctor Tofu. I think that maybe, just maybe, he can't admit it to himself. That he thinks it's wrong because she was still pretty young herself when he started feeling that way. I couldn't stand seeing it, I had to get out of there. Then you started joking about my father engaging me to Tofu."

Ranma cleared his throat. "Er, ah, sorry 'bout that. I didn't know ..."

Akane reached over and laid a hand on top of Ranma's, quieting him, then put her hand back around her knee. "I know. I'm not really blaming you, though I couldn't help getting angry at that moment. That's why I sat down here, to try to sort out my feelings. Maybe let go of my fantasies. It hurts, but he doesn't love me like that, and he never will." She hugged her knees more tightly, studying the water as a way not to look at Ranma. "You wanna know what's bothering me even more? It doesn't hurt as much as I expected it too. As if ... it really was just a crush, and I started getting over it, and I didn't even notice."

She fell silent, and they were both quiet for a time. Eventually the peace of the moment, combined with the sad look on Akane's face, got to be too much for Ranma. He reached over and tweaked her nose. Taunting her with "Gotcha!" he jumped up and ran off.

Akane screamed, "Raaanmaaaaa!" then leapt to her feet in hot pursuit.

Ranma gave her a sporting chance by not running flat out for home. Instead he jumped upon and ran along some walls, twirled around lampposts, and jumped over mailboxes and similar obstacles. He ended up taking one chance too many however, when he leaped over the gate at the Tendo home. Kasumi was just on the other side and he was forced to twist around acrobatically in midair to avoid knocking her to the ground. He ended up doing a handstand beside the startled girl just as Akane came through the gate. That minor delay gave Akane all the opportunity she needed, and with a solid kick she sent Ranma hurtling into the koi pond.

Akane smirked as she watched her own features rise from the pool, water streaming down the girl's face. As Ranma blew water off of his lips, Akane haughtily remarked, "Serves you right. Why'd you go and tease me like that when you knew I was feeling depressed?"

Ranma climbed out and shook water off of himself like a dog, causing Akane to jump back hurriedly so that she wouldn't transform as well. A jump which took her closer to the edge of the pond. Ranma looked at her, and one corner of his mouth lifted. He stepped closer, locking gazes with her, and Akane shifted nervously.

"I was tired of how glum you looked," Ranma explained. "I'd rather see you happy than sad or angry. Y'know, you look really cute when you smile."

Akane stared at him, jaw hanging a little. Sure, he'd said one or two nice things before, but she had never heard quite so ... _definite_ a compliment from him. She wasn't quite sure how to react, and her mind seemed to shut down for a moment.

Ranma reached out a finger and pressed against Akane's forehead, causing her to tip over and fall into the pond herself. As his true form's twin rose up from the water screaming, Ranma called "Gotcha again!" then took off running. Akane chased him for several laps around the house and dojo, before they finally collapsed with laughter on the lawn.

Kasumi brought over some lemonade and a couple of towels, which they both accepted with thanks. A little breathlessly, Akane informed the current girl sitting nearby, "I'm going to ... get you back ... for that later ... when we spar."

"Promises, promises," Ranma replied cheerfully.

Later that night when Akane returned to her room from a bath, she fell back onto her bed while thinking over the events of the day. Most especially, Ranma's words from earlier kept running through her mind, "you look really cute when you smile."

‹Did he really mean that?› Akane asked herself. ‹Or was he just trying to distract me so he could push me into the pond?›

She stood and went over to her desk, picking up a small mirror which lay there. Looking at her own face, she gave a bright smile, trying to decide if Ranma had been telling the truth. She tried a few more times, but just couldn't make up her mind, not being accustomed to vanity concerning her appearance. Then she thought about how Ranma had looked in her body while she chased him around the house, laughing and smiling. A more natural smile graced her face as she recalled how cute he had looked then, even if she hadn't been in a state of mind to appreciate it at the time.

Outside in a tree, Ranma had frozen when the light came on in Akane's room. He was worried about being seen and his position misinterpreted as an attempt to peek into her room, when really he had only climbed up there to get away from his father. Upon seeing Akane smiling at herself in the mirror, he had felt a strong temptation to jump over to her window and tease her about it, but something had held him back. The smile that appeared on her face after putting the mirror back down surprised a soft, breathy, "Kawaii ..." from him.

Still unaware of the young man's presence outside, Akane picked up a book and lay down on her bed to read. Ranma took advantage of this opportunity to escape from the tree unseen. He slipped away quietly, giving one last backward glance toward the lit window above.

* * *

The next morning, a bewildered looking teenage boy stopped a pedestrian coming out of a grocery store to ask, "Excuse me, ma'am. Could you tell me where I am?"

The woman looked at the boy over her shopping bag with a mixture of curiosity and surprise. "Why ... you're in Tokyo. Nerima to be more specific."

The boy pumped a fist in the air. "At last!" he cried in triumph. Pulling himself together, he turned back toward the woman and politely asked, "Have you heard of a boy my age by the name of Ranma Saotome?"

The increasingly befuddled woman replied, "Do you know how many hundred thousand people live in ... wait, actually ... I do believe I heard that the Tendo family have some house guests by the name of Saotome."

His grin broadened still further. "Could you tell me where I could find their home?"

She shook her head. "Well, yes, but if he's your age, then he should be in school right now. I assume he is attending the same school as Tendo-san's daughters. Furinkan High School. It's about a kilometer that way." She freed one hand momentarily and pointed down the street.

"Thanks!" the boy shouted over his shoulder, as he sprinted off down the street.

"Wait!" the woman called out after him. "Where are you going? I said it was the other way!"

* * *

**Author's note:**

Well, here's the first chapter of _Side by Side_, the sequel to _Togetherness_. Not much action yet, but the stage is set for Ryoga to find Ranma in the next chapter.

I intend to follow a modified version of the timeline on my web site for this story. Modified, since _Side by Side_ takes place in an alternate universe. Much will be different, and some events may not take place at all. Still, if you're interested, that will give you some idea of the _sequence_ of events, and approximate dates when they may be expected.

As I've warned in previous statements about this story, I'll be writing it as I go along, unlike my other stories which have all been finished, at least in first draft form, before I started posting them. Of course, I've already done a fair bit of _planning_ for where I intend to take this.

I also intend to continue working on other stories at the same time. This means you will need to console yourself to longer waits between chapters than usual. Sorry 'bout that.

Just so we all understand, my take on her character from reading the manga is that Akane is already a highly skilled martial artist, though not very close to Ranma's phenomenal abilities. She's a bit inferior to Shampoo, much better than Kodachi (who never managed to lay a finger on her throughout the manga), and though it's less clear, probably roughly on par with Ukyo. Since that's how I see things, that's the starting point for this story. Of course, that's going to be changing, given that Ranma is actively training her.

The bit in the story about Ranma's use of a masculine, tough guy pronoun - I hope I wrote it in a way that made it reasonably clear that, despite the fact that I'm writing in English, he used a Japanese version of the first person pronoun "I" which Akane wouldn't have used. In particular, the pronoun I had in mind was "ore," which Ranma does in fact use in the original Japanese version of the manga, even when he is in female form.


	2. Ryoga Hibiki

**Side by Side  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Sequel to _Togetherness_. Alternate universe story in which Ranma and Akane are cursed to change into duplicates of one another.

* * *

**Chapter 2. Ryoga Hibiki**

It was a bright, sunny day late in May, with occasional breezes ruffling the leaves on the trees. Lunchtime at Furinkan High saw many of the students taking their meal out of doors, Akane and Ranma among them. Not together, though. Akane sat with her friends, Yuka and Sayuri, under a tree while Ranma had similarly been joined by his own friends.

"So, Akane, how's life with your fiancé?" Yuka sounded entirely innocent, but there was a gleam in her eye which was anything but.

Akane scowled. From where she sat, she could just see the subject of the question out of the corner of her eye, about fifteen meters away. He was leaning against the wall of the school and eating lunch with Hiroshi and Daisuke. She avoided looking directly at him, since she didn't want Ranma to catch her gazing at him.

"Would you please drop it, Yuka?" Akane said with more than a trace of irritation in her voice. "Haven't you been listening to me for the last couple of weeks? By now I've made it more than clear that Ranma and I don't agree to this engagement idea of our fathers. Teasing me about it is getting a bit old."

Yuka sighed in cheerful frustration, and when she next spoke she sounded a little less playful. "Okay, okay. Still and all, Ranma _has_ been living in your house for - what? Going on three weeks now? Given your past history with boys, it's only natural to wonder how you're getting along with one of them right there in your own home."

Akane wasn't sure how to answer this. She thought about it for so long that her friends began to wonder if she _would_ answer. Finally, she started speaking, although the words came slowly.

"We're getting along pretty well, really. The biggest problem is that our families won't stop calling us fiancés, or talking about us getting married someday. That gets us irritated, of course, and we start snapping at them ... and each other. But on the other hand, we also spend a lot of time together training in martial arts, and I really like that." She made a sour face. "Even if he does make me work pretty hard. And sometimes we do homework together ..."

Akane paused, looking off into the distance. Then she added, "Sometimes he's a jerk, but most of the time ... he's okay."

"And your curses?" Sayuri asked.

Akane shrugged. "Nothing new there. We still get splashed too damn often, and change. A few times people have mixed us up. That's mostly just been funny."

"Any new observations on what it's like to be a boy?" Sayuri pressed.

Akane blushed. "I've got nothing to say," she stated forcefully.

Yuka spoke hesitantly. "What's that on your face? It looks like a bruise. I didn't really notice 'til your face got all red just now."

Akane replied quickly, hoping to prevent her friends from thinking too hard about it. "Oh, probably just a hit that got through while Ranma and I were sparring. It's nothing."

Yuka had turned back to look over at Ranma, and from her thoughtful expression, Akane may not have succeeded in distracting her. This was confirmed a moment later when Yuka muttered, "You know, that's the same place that Ranma got hit with the baseball yesterday. Except ... why doesn't he have a bruise there? You'd think he would."

She turned back to Akane, who winced as Yuka added, "Or at least ... he should if he was the one who was hit." Sayuri's eyes suddenly widened. Yuka nodded to herself and asked, "So ... which of you was really playing baseball with us in gym yesterday?"

Akane closed her eyes in shame at having been caught out. She could feel her face heating up again, which would be answer enough for her two friends even if she didn't speak. "Er ... we ... ah ... you caught us ... hee hee." The giggle at the end wasn't very convincing. "Ranma and I ... switched places ... for yesterday's gym class." Akane cringed, wondering what they would think of her.

"You mean you let Ranma use the girls' locker room?!" Yuka asked, horrified.

Akane sputtered. "Wait ... no ..."

Sayuri inquired gleefully, "So you used the boys' locker room and watched them change? You naughty girl! I'm soooo envious."

Out of the corner of her eye, Akane saw that Ranma had cocked a curious brow in her direction. No doubt he was wondering why she was so red-faced. "We ... we didn't!" she half-shouted, her tone of horror nearly matching Yuka's. "We changed clothes in the restrooms! Before and after class."

Yuka gave a sigh of relief, as her inability to recall seeing "Akane" in the locker room that day matched her friend's claim. Sayuri shook her head, her mouth making a little moue of disappointment.

"Why not?" Sayuri asked, in fact almost demanded. "I mean, I'm glad you made Ranma change in the restroom, but how could you pass up a chance like that?"

"Because I'm not a pervert!" Akane sputtered. "And listen to yourself! Talk about hypocrisy."

Sayuri shrugged, admitting the truth of the accusation. A thoughtful look passed across her face. "Wait a minute. That means yesterday - in the dugout - that was Ranma ..." She broke off, laughing.

Akane scowled at her. "Yeah, he told me about your perverted questions last night." She looked down at her lap and added, more quietly, "Though I have to admit, he didn't say anything until after I, uh, complained about Hiroshi and Daisuke saying perverted things to me when they thought I was Ranma."

Yuka snorted. "Those two perverts. I can only imagine what they said to you." She glanced over and caught Akane's eye, giving her a hurt look. "That wasn't very fair to us, you know."

"Huh? What?" Akane looked confused.

Sayuri picked up on the complaint. "Not letting us know that you were switching places. You let us talk to Ranma, thinking that he was you. What if we had told him something, thinking we were sharing a secret with _you_? Or if we asked him about something that _you_ had told _us_ in secret?"

Akane blanched. She could think of several things Yuka and Sayuri knew about her, that she wouldn't want them mentioning in front of Ranma.

Looking very guilty, Akane promised, "Uh, I'm sorry. Next time Ranma and I decide to switch places in school, I'll warn you guys. Okay?" She paused and bit her lip, before adding, "But, you know, sometimes our curses are triggered by accident. You might, uh, want to be careful what you say until you, uh, make sure it really _is_ me."

Yuka sighed. "Definitely something to keep in mind," she admitted. "Are you planning on swapping places today?"

Akane shook her head. "No. We decided to take today off after the last few days ..." She trailed off, realizing what she had just confessed.

Yuka and Sayuri were both giving her amused glares. "Okay, girl. Details. Now."

Akane sighed. "Nothing much happened the other couple of times ..."

* * *

The final bell of the day rang, signaling an end to gym class. Akane and Ranma were among the last to leave their respective locker rooms. There was nothing unusual in this - they were the last to leave every day. It took them longer than their classmates because they had to be extra cautious about avoiding accidents in the locker room. They both felt that would be a particularly unfortunate place for their curses to be revealed.

As students poured out of the school building, Hiroshi was near the front of the pack. He ran out of the gate and turned the corner, only to run into a stone wall and bounce back. Curiously, the stone wall carried an umbrella, wore dusty clothes, and had a bandanna on its head.

A hand shot out, grabbed a fistful of Hiroshi's shirt, lifted him up and pressed him against the wall surrounding the school. The stone wall into which he had collided resolved itself into a boy, a fellow Hiroshi's own age. The boy holding him demanded, "I need you to tell me where I can find Furinkan High School."

Hiroshi was flashing back to the first time he had talked to Ranma about Akane, and nearly been choked with his own shirt. ‹Why me?› he silently moaned inside his head. Unable to get any words out of his throat, or even to breathe, he held up a hand and pointed at the sign on the wall.

The boy read the words "Furinkan High School" on the sign. He gave a tight grin and released Hiroshi, who barely managed to stay on his feet when he landed. His assailant now asked, fiercely, "Where is Ranma Saotome?"

Hiroshi wondered whether he ought to pretend ignorance, even though it would risk angering the maniac in front of him. It wasn't a happy thought. Then he considered the fact that Ranma was an incredibly skilled martial artist - surely he could take care of himself. Looking around quickly, he saw Ranma coming out the front door. Hiroshi lifted his arm and pointed once more.

The stranger looked up and saw Ranma running out the door and across the schoolyard, wearing black pants and a red Chinese shirt. He blinked. Running beside Ranma was a girl, also wearing black pants and a red Chinese shirt. Then he took a longer look and frowned. Something about that girl looked familiar, he was sure.

He shook himself out of his reverie. Ranma was getting closer and had to be dealt with. The boy leaped high into the air, then whipped around the umbrella he was carrying to land point down, right on Ranma's head. His lips drew back in a pleased snarl.

Ranma's subconscious noted Hiroshi's eyes looking at a point above himself, an observation which communicated a sudden sensation of danger to the young martial artist. Acting on instinct, he grabbed Akane and leaped to the side. A moment later an umbrella landed where he'd been about to step, with the power of an unknown boy driving it down, causing it to blast a hole in the sod.

The unexpected attacker snarled at Ranma. "Huh! You haven't changed, Ranma. Still prefer to dodge rather than fight."

Ranma stared in puzzlement. Apparently the other boy knew him, and he did look vaguely familiar. But he was having a hard time placing him. One of the dojos where he trained? One of the schools he attended for a few months?

Akane was also struck by a sense of familiarity. The clothing, the backpack, the bandanna, they all reminded her of someone. A moment later she gave a little gasp. The boy at Jusenkyo. The one Ranma had saved from falling into the pool. She almost cried out, but stopped herself just in time. There were other students nearby who would overhear. How would she explain recognizing someone Ranma had met in China?

The stranger sneered at Ranma's obvious inability to place his face. "Just tell me one thing, Ranma. Why did you run out on our fight?!"

Ranma's eyes widened. "_Wait_ a minute! Ryoga Hibiki! I remember you. We went to school together! Last fall!" He paused, then frowned. "What the hell do you mean, run out? I waited three days for you to show up."

Akane turned to stare at Ranma. "Three _days_?" she repeated incredulously.

Ryoga clenched a fist. "Yes! And when I came on the fourth day, you had already run away!"

Akane was staring at them both in complete disbelief. Ranma cocked his head. "Uh, Ryoga? We lived a block apart, and we were supposed to meet in an empty lot halfway between our homes. Why did it take you four days to get there?"

Ryoga growled. "Do you think I spent those four days taking a casual stroll? I crossed rivers, mountains, oceans ... I suffered to meet you for that duel."

Daisuke whispered to Hiroshi. "Oceans?"

Ryoga shook with rage. "Then when I _finally_ get there, I find that you've broken your word, and run off to China with your father."

Ranma raised his eyebrows. "Hey, my old man wasn't gonna let me wait for you forever, y'know. But if you wanna finish our fight ... I'm game." He raised his fists in preparation.

Ryoga's lip curled into a snarl. "I don't care about that fight. _This_ is for _revenge_!" He suddenly threw his umbrella, which went spinning through the air like a drunken UFO with a tail. Ranma leaned to the side, closer to Akane, and let it pass him by. Keeping his attention on Ryoga, he watched out of the corner of his eye as the umbrella pruned some shrubs before returning, cutting down a sapling on its way back to Ryoga's hand.

"Nice trick," Ranma commented. "Not very useful though."

Ryoga gritted his teeth. He vowed, "No matter what it takes, Ranma Saotome, I shall destroy your happiness!"

Ranma gaped. "My ... happiness?" Then he snorted. "If that's your idea of revenge, I'm afraid my pop already beat you to it."

Akane stopped staring at Ryoga to look at Ranma. She felt a little sad at his words, the suggestion that he wasn't happy. But she knew Ranma was thinking of his curse at that moment, not anything else about the present.

At that moment, Principal Watanabe came marching out of the school. "What's the meaning of this?" he demanded. He looked at the hole in the ground and the sapling which had been cut down. "Who's responsible for this?"

Several students pointed in the direction of the boy holding the umbrella. Ryoga grimaced. "I'll be back, Ranma," he declared flatly, then turned and strode off.

The principal stopped in front of Ranma. "I do hope you weren't damaging school property, Saotome-kun?"

Ranma shook his head. Akane answered, "No, Watanabe-sensei. The other boy did all of the damage. All Ranma did was dodge his attacks."

The principal looked out the gate and sighed. "Well, he's gone now. Try to avoid any property damage in future, eh, Saotome-kun." He turned and headed back into the school.

Ranma wasn't one to dwell on things. He turned to Akane, grinning, and called, "Ready! Set! Go!" He took off running.

Akane stared after him blankly, then remembered their training. With a muttered, "Ranmaaa ..." she took off running after him.

* * *

When Akane and Ranma came into the house from their afternoon training session, Kasumi met them holding an envelope. "Oh, Ranma. I forgot earlier. A letter came in the mail for you, from someone named Ryoga Hibiki."

She was very surprised when Akane took the letter from her, tearing it open with a mumbled, "Now what?" Even more surpisingly, Ranma stood there and watched placidly.

"Akane!" Kasumi exclaimed, shocked by this display of rude behavior. "That's Ranma's mail! You shouldn't open it."

Both of the younger teenagers looked up at her with sheepish grins. The one wearing Ranma's face gave a small bob of his head, saying, "Sorry, oneechan. That _is_ Ranma. We were practicing in our cursed forms this afternoon. Could you get us some hot water?"

"You ...?" Kasumi stopped, eyes wide as she realized what they were telling her. She finally looked for and spotted the slight scar on the wrong head. She frowned then turned away, mumbling under her breath and shaking her head. Akane was just as glad that she couldn't hear what her older sister was saying.

While Kasumi went off to get the water, Akane read over Ranma's shoulder. It was a formal challenge for a duel, to take place on the grounds at Furinkan High School.

"This is pretty serious," Akane stated unnecessarily. "He's certainly mad at you about something." Looking more closely at the dates, she remarked in confusion, "Uh, this says that he was supposed to meet you for the duel yesterday."

Ranma shrugged. "Ryoga's got the worst sense of direction you ever heard of. When we went to school together, I had to walk him from his home to the school and back every day, or else he'd get lost. That's why I waited three days for him to show up - I knew he wouldn't make it by the appointed time."

"He's probably not going to let it drop, you know," Akane responded. "Not if he's angry enough to send you a formal challenge. Not that it really changes anything. It was already pretty obvious he's going to be back."

Ranma nodded, dropping his chin to his fist in thought. Speaking mostly to himself, he said, "I just wish I knew why he was so pissed off with me."

Akane snapped her fingers. "That reminds me. Do you remember at Jusenkyo ..." She broke off as Kasumi returned with the water, followed by Nabiki.

"Hey, heard you got a letter from the guy you fought today," the middle sister said. "What's he want?" She first addressed Akane, who was still in Ranma's form. When Akane shook her head and pointed, Nabiki sighed before turning to look at the correct person.

Ranma snapped his own fingers. Then he looked up, finally processing Nabiki's question. "Oh, it's a challenge. He'll show up at school again one of these days. But I just remembered something, the reason we were going to fight before."

"So what did you do to him that was so terrible?" Akane wanted to know.

Ranma stuck out his chest and told them proudly, "I beat him in a contest for the last bread in the cafeteria every day. Lunchtime was always a war there. After all, it was a boys' school."

Nabiki looked over the boy wearing her sister's body and smirked. "Boys' school?"

"Hey!" Ranma whined, annoyed. "Back then I was always a boy."

Kasumi sighed. She poured the hot water over his head, restoring his male form. She then treated her youngest sister similarly.

While shaking water out of her hair, Akane commented, "He seems awfully angry, far more than you'd expect because of some bread. He was trying to seriously hurt you." She wanted to talk to Ranma about recognizing Ryoga from Jusenkyo, but couldn't do it with her sisters present.

Both Nabiki and Kasumi were reflecting on Akane's last statement. "Just how ... _how_ seriously was this boy trying to hurt Ranma?" Kasumi asked.

"Pretty _damn_ seriously, oneechan," Nabiki responded, earning a frown from Kasumi for her language. She turned to Ranma and fixed him with a hard look. "What if you and Akane are backwards the next time he attacks? Is Akane going to be ready to defend herself?"

Ranma shuffled his feet, and Akane started thinking about becoming angry. The boy replied, "If she sees Ryoga coming, she can probably hold her own long enough to run away. I wouldn't recommend that she meet him head on. He was good enough to give me some trouble in those cafeteria fights, and he's built like a tank."

Akane was no longer thinking about it. She was now angry. Glaring at Ranma, she shouted, "I can take care of myself ...!"

Nabiki stepped between the two, staring Akane down. "Ranma's told you before that he thinks you're pretty good. Now do you trust his judgment or not?"

Akane looked down at the floor, scowling, refusing to answer.

Nabiki turned around to face Ranma, hands clenched. "Now what are you going to do about it? If this Ryoga mistakes Akane for you, my little sister could get hurt. Is she ready to take him on or not? And if not, what else can you do about it?"

Kasumi stepped up and put a calming hand on Nabiki's arm. When the latter turned to look at Kasumi, the older sister shook her head slightly.

Ranma grumbled. "I'm already training her, ain't that enough?" He ran a hand through his hair as Nabiki continued glaring at him. "Okay, okay, dammit. I guess I can start training her harder, start introducing her to some of the other stuff a bit sooner than I planned. And I'll give it some thought, see if I can think up anything else that'll help."

Akane was still looking at the floor, still angry, though the anger was fading. In its place she was starting to feel appalled at the idea that Ranma was going to train her _harder_. She already felt like he was pushing her to her limit. At the same time, there was a part of her which was enthusiastic at the thought. In the end she left to get ready for dinner without saying another word, thinking hard.

* * *

Later that night, Akane came into her bedroom after her bath, wearing pajamas and with a towel wrapped around her hair. She flopped down onto her bed, feeling exhausted. Ranma had run her ragged in the dojo that night, insisting she perform her kata twenty percent faster than usual, and pressing much harder during their sparring. Akane still wasn't sure where she had found the energy to struggle through washing up. She had slowly recovered after she dragged herself over the side into the furo and soaked in the hot water.

As she lay on her bed, Akane remembered that she still hadn't told Ranma about recognizing Ryoga from Jusenkyo. She groaned at the thought of getting up again, and wished that she was able to just think and have him hear her, like back in China. It was odd, Akane reflected. She had only spent two weeks trapped inside Ranma's head, and close to three weeks had passed since then. But she still missed being able to talk to him so easily. On the other hand, she had to admit that she didn't miss the fact that neither of them had been allowed any privacy whatsoever during those two weeks.

Snorting at her own silliness, Akane focused her thoughts hard on the boy who was surely somewhere nearby. ‹Ranma! Ranma! Can you hear me? C'mon, baka, please answer if you can.› There was of course no answer. She sighed, then the corners of her mouth turned up. Did she really want to go back to a time when _all_ of her thoughts were shared with him? Of course not.

All the same, there were times when it would be convenient. Like right now, for instance. With an audible groan, Akane pulled herself to a sitting position, then climbed wearily to her feet. She stumbled out of her room and went in search of Ranma.

When she didn't find him in the guest room or family room, she stepped outside and looked up. "Ranma! Are you up on the roof?"

A head peeked over the edge. "Yeah. Whattcha want?"

"Could you come down for a minute?" Akane pleaded. "I'd like to talk to you."

Ranma considered. "Why don't you come up instead?"

Akane glared at him, though the effect was somewhat lost in the darkness. "Because I'm too worn out from our workout earlier. I'm barely standing on my feet as it is."

"Oh, okay. In that case ..." Suddenly Ranma landed lightly right beside her. Before Akane realized his intention, he had wrapped his arms around her then leaped high into the air. They landed on the roof and Ranma helped her to sit down.

"Baka," Akane said without heat. "We could have talked down there."

Ranma shrugged. "More privacy up here. So, what'd you wanna talk about?"

Akane lay back on the roof and looked up at the stars overhead. "Do you really think I couldn't handle Ryoga if he attacked me?"

Ranma looked down at Akane, then joined her in lying on the roof. "Depends," he replied. "On how serious Ryoga is. How focused he is. He's a lot stronger than that Kuno guy, and just as fast. Of course, at our level, little things mean a lot. You're pretty strong yourself. If he made a little mistake, and you got a punch in, you might put him out of the fight. I wouldn't want to count on that kinda luck, though."

There was some bitterness in her voice as she said, "So, you think I could only beat him if I got lucky."

Ranma's voice was strained. "Akane ..." He paused. "Listen, how many times I gotta tell you? You're good. But you ain't the best. Not yet. That's why I'm training you. So yeah, in a straight up fight where he thinks you're a guy, if you don't get lucky, he'll beat you."

Ranma continued, seriously. "On the other hand, you gotta remember that you practice 'Anything Goes.' We make our own luck. I told you it depends on how focused Ryoga is. One thing about that guy is he can't take any kind of insult. He gets mad and loses all focus. I used that more than once in the cafeteria fights.

"So if you find yourself fighting him, insult him. Tease him. Dance around him. Anything to get him hopping mad. He'll lash out without paying as much attention to defense, and you might get a good hit in.

"But don't be stupid about it. You ain't ready to fight him on his own terms, not yet. If he leaves you an opening, you get the hell out of there. Y'understand?"

He heard a sigh beside him. "Yeah, I understand," came the girl's resigned response. When she continued, her voice was wistful, "How long do you think it'll be before I can take him on in a fair fight?"

Ranma grunted. "I ain't ever seen much point in fighting fair. I was taught to fight to win." He paused and considered her question. "In all honesty, I dunno. I only ever fought Ryoga in those lunchtime battles. He was late for that duel, and I didn't really fight him at school today. I'd have to fight him for real before I know how good he really is."

Akane acknowledged to herself that Ranma had a point. Changing the subject, she asked, "By the way, did you recognize Ryoga today?"

Ranma sounded a little confused. "Yeah, of course. I told you. We went to school together. Bread fights. Supposed to have a duel."

"Not that," she said in exasperation. "I meant from Jusenkyo. He was the boy you ran into, when we fell off the cliff. The one where we both barely managed not to fall into the other pool."

Ranma sat bolt upright. "What?! He couldn't be!" He cast his mind back to that day, dredging up the memory, trying to recall what that boy had looked like. "Damn! You're right. It _was_ him! What the _hell_ was he doing there?"

Akane couldn't help a small chuckle. "Well, he did follow you here, looking to finish that duel. Or for revenge. Or _something_. I guess he followed you to China first."

Ranma gave a light laugh as well. "Guess so. Poor bastard. Chases me all through China and back, when he could have just stayed here and waited in Tokyo. Damn lucky for him that we kept him from falling in that pool. Imagine how much more angry he'd be if he _had_ fallen in while chasing after me."

Ranma paused and considered something else. "Y'know, it's kinda funny he didn't recognize you as well. At school today. After all, I was in my cursed form when I, ah, 'ran into him' at Jusenkyo."

Akane spoke disdainfully. "What's so strange about that? _You_ didn't recognize _him_. He only saw you for a few seconds that day. You were wearing your hair differently. I'd be startled if he _had_ recognized me."

"Mmm, I suppose," Ranma said. "Well, at least now I have something else to ask him about next time I see him. Maybe I can find out what's got him so upset."

Akane watched as the lights of a jet slowly passed overhead. She knew that eventually she would need to get up and go to bed, but she felt too weary to contemplate it. Instead, from out of the blue, she asked the boy beside her, "Ranma, do you ever miss it? Being able to talk to each other just by thinking?"

Ranma snorted. "I don't miss getting yelled at for accidentally thinking something you didn't like. It's nice to be able to take a bath without worrying about where I'm looking or scrubbing. It's _damn_ nice being able to, um, go to the little boys' room without someone else being along for the ride."

Ranma couldn't see Akane's smile in the dark, but he could hear it in her reply. "Okay, I won't argue with any of that. It's also nice to have my own body back, to be able to move my arms and legs, instead of simply riding along in your head. But, um, ..." She hesitated, unsure of herself. "Sometimes, I kind of miss ... how easy it was to talk to you. We ... talked about a lot of things, just to pass the time."

"Yeah," Ranma said, sounding reflective and maybe a little wistful. "But you know, you can ... come and talk to me ... anytime you like. About anything." He smiled. "It ain't like you could come up with anything more embarrassing than what we went through together those days."

Akane had to smile as well, and felt a warmth inside at his words. Deciding that eventually she would need to go to bed, she said, "I hope you realize that you're going to have to get me down from here as well?"

"No problem," Ranma answered gallantly. Without warning, Akane found herself scooped up into his arms and the two of them falling toward the ground. She took hold of a handful of his shirt, pressing herself tightly to his chest, surprised at how secure she felt in his arms. No sooner did they come to a stop, then Ranma was leaping into the air again. He landed on the sill of her bedroom window before hopping inside, whereupon he placed Akane on her bed.

"Uh ... thanks," was all that she got out.

Ranma gave her a slight bow, then turned and hopped back out of her window again. Akane watched the window through which he had departed for several minutes, before turning off the light and climbing under her covers.

* * *

The days that followed became a test of endurance. Starting bright and early Saturday morning, Ranma further picked up the pace of Akane's training, pushing her harder and harder. Then harder still.

* * *

Akane threw punches into the pads Ranma held in front of himself, moving as fast as she could. _Left, right, left, right_.

"C'mon, Akane, faster!" Ranma demanded. "You can punch faster'n that if you let yourself! _Kuno's_ almost that fast."

Akane growled. Somehow her punches started coming faster.

* * *

Akane jumped up to the ceiling, grabbing another of the short ribbons Ranma had hung there. She twisted acrobatically in midair to evade the beanbag which whizzed past. At first she had scoffed at the idea of Ranma threatening her with beanbags. That ended when the first one struck her. She couldn't _believe_ how much it had stung.

The moment her feet touched the floor, she leaped toward the ceiling again, spreading her legs so that a beanbag zipped between them. She wasn't allowed to remain in contact with the floor for more than a few seconds at a time, until after she collected all of the ribbons. The first time she had tried to pause between leaps, Ranma had _nailed_ her with one of the beanbags, much harder than the midair strikes. She planned to give him a piece of her mind once she finished this exercise and had a chance to breathe, but in the meantime she didn't want to give him any reason to do that again.

* * *

They had dragged a balance beam into the middle of the dojo, and she and Ranma were both standing upon it. They traded punches and kicks, until Akane tumbled off again. She twisted in the air and landed properly.

"Good. Again," Ranma called.

Akane muttered a curse under her breath. She jumped back up onto the balance beam.

* * *

Akane struggled to lift the barbell, barely moving it. "It's no use, Ranma! I've never lifted close to this much. I'm trying, but it's too heavy!"

Ranma leaned down near her. "Try not! Do. Or do not. There is no try."

Akane snarled. "Dammit! You're not Yoda, and I'm not Luke Skywalker and this isn't a damn movie!"

Ranma chuckled. "C'mon, use your diaphragm and fill those lungs for something other than talking. Feel your chi. Push it out into your legs for support. Push it into your arms for strength. You can do this!"

Cursing inside her head, Akane breathed deeply, filling her lungs completely. She took a moment to focus herself, then lifted. Centimeter by agonizing centimeter the barbell rose from the floor. When it reached chest height, Akane opened her eyes to stare into Ranma's eyes, flames burning behind her pupils.

Ranma reached out to grab the bar, smiling. He helped her to lower it to the floor. "That was _great_, Akane! I knew you could do it. I think I want to add some breathing exercises though."

Akane groaned at the thought of more exercises.

* * *

Akane knelt on the floor of the dojo, panting. "Are we done in the dojo for this afternoon, Ranma?" Try though she might to sound confident, the tone of voice came out one step short of begging.

"Yes. We're done in the _dojo_," Ranma answered, promptly enough to be suspicious. Akane looked up, worried, while rivulets of sweat ran down her face. One look at Ranma's overly innocent expression was enough to warn her that he was indeed up to something. Blithely, Ranma went on. "However, I gotta go downtown for something. So we're going for a run. Come on."

With a whimper Akane climbed to her feet. She grabbed a towel and mopped at her face. Ranma waited until she finished, then he nodded and took off running. Akane gave chase, struggling to keep up.

She managed to draw level with him. As soon as she did, he turned his head to look at her and cheerfully announced, "Time for something else." Akane turned frightened eyes upon him. Ranma pointed over to the wall beside them. "Time for a little more balance training. Follow me!"

With that he jumped up to land atop the wall and continued running, calling out over his shoulder as he went, "I chose our path today so that we have thick walls almost the entire way." Akane ran a few more steps along the sidewalk, staring after him. Then she gathered her courage and made the leap as well, catching her balance and running along the top of the wall behind him. It wasn't as hard as it looked from the ground. The wall was a good twenty centimeters wide. At least, it wasn't hard as long as she ignored the distance to the ground on either side, a distance she'd be experiencing directly if she made a single misstep.

"C'mon, slowpoke, speed it up!" Ranma called from up ahead. Akane narrowed her concentration to her feet, the wall and Ranma, trying to shut out everything else. Especially the protests from her own body.

When Ranma finally jumped down to the sidewalk, Akane tried to follow him but stumbled upon landing. She would have fallen except that Ranma was immediately there to catch her. She looked up at him, still in something of a daze from her recent narrowly focused concentration on the task at hand. She looked so lost and out of it, that Ranma felt a pain in his chest that he was putting her through this.

"It's only a little further," he said softly. Holding her arm to lend support, Ranma walked with Akane a short distance along the sidewalk and into a small bakery. He left her leaning against the front wall with her eyes closed, while he went down an aisle to select the small loaves of bread he'd come out after. When he was done Ranma paid for his purchases, then took Akane's arm once more.

"We'll walk home," the boy told her comfortingly. Akane nodded, giving her attention to placing one weary foot in front of the other.

Ranma cleared his throat, looking sideways at the girl beside him with some concern, before continuing more seriously. "We'll stick to walls like that for the next couple of days. Then we'll throw in some thinner ones. We'll be doing more balance practice in the dojo, too. Next week you'll be walking some fences, with me right behind you. A week or so after that I think you'll be ready to start running the fences."

Akane listened to him as if from a distance, with something akin to disbelief. Oh sure, she wanted to be able to do those things. Wanted it desperately, even. But could she really keep up this pace?

Ranma's next words made it sound as if he could hear her thoughts. "You can do it Akane. Just believe in yourself. You got reserves, beyond what you know. Crap, beyond what I woulda believed about you before I started training you. I'm gonna be giving you a taste of hell, but you can do it." He was almost pleading with her to believe him.

Akane stumbled on, processing his words. Her head was beginning to clear, enough so for her to feel more than a little worried about what was in store, but those few sentences awoke a fierce pride in her. She _would_ do this! She would prove to Ranma that his faith in her was justified. With a grunt of effort she forced herself to pay attention to her surroundings once more, and focused on lifting her feet and walking properly. Beside her, Ranma smiled.

* * *

It was a quiet afternoon, threatening rain. Lunch had been finished a short time earlier, and everyone had scattered to their normal Sunday activities. That meant that Soun and Genma had started up one of their constant games of shogi. Akane had gone upstairs to deal with some homework before their next training session. Ranma knew that he needed to do the same, but had no objection to procrastinating.

Ranma approached the two older men with a serious expression. "Pop, Tendo-san, can I speak to both of you for a minute?"

The two men looked up from their game. "Certainly, son," Soun said. Turning to the other man, he suggested, "Saotome, why don't we step away from the board for a few moments to, ah, remove any temptation?"

Genma grunted, disappointed by the suggestion but not enough to argue the point. They sat with Ranma around the table in the family room. "What's this about, boy?" his father asked peremptorily.

"Akane's training," Ranma answered. His father's lips twisted into a sneer but at a glance from Soun, Genma held his tongue from any comment.

"More specifically," Ranma went on, "her awareness. When Ryoga attacked me at the school, she didn't notice anything until I pulled her aside." He frowned. "When I sat down and thought about it, I remembered other times she missed things she shouldn't have. Not always. Not even most of the time. But more than's healthy under the circumstances."

He paused briefly and shrugged. "Thanks to pop being a complete maniac, I learned that I might be attacked at any time. I grew up that way. Akane didn't. But now someone might. Attack her at any moment, that is. And she's not ready for it."

Ranma looked the two men over carefully. "Somehow we got to train Akane to be more aware, to spot attacks before they reach her."

"If you think I'm going to go around attacking a little slip of a girl out of the blue ...," Genma began.

Soun looked furious, although there were tears in his eyes as well. "You can't do that! My little girl will get hurt!"

"Sheesh! We don't have to hit her!" Ranma yelled. "Slow down and let me explain!" He waited for a moment before going on, finding his place in what he was trying to say. "We need to train her to be more aware of her surroundings, and to respond defensively. But we can do that without hurting her. My first thought was water pistols, but I'd rather do this without activating her curse.

"So I was thinking we could smear toothpaste or something like that on her. If she don't dodge or block it, that is. If she does defend herself successfully, we stop. This ain't about fighting. It's about spotting an attack before it arrives. Now pop, is it really gonna kill you to put a dab of toothpaste on a girl's cheek?"

Genma thought about it, then looked over to his old friend Soun. Though he was loathe to admit it, the idea actually amused him. Still, he couldn't be the one to give in to the boy's request. Soun finally looked up and consulted Genma's eyes as well.

"Very well, Ranma-kun," Akane's father told him. "We'll do it. I assume you're planning to inform my daughter of this plan."

Ranma nodded. "Yep. I'll go upstairs and do it right now. I'll warn her that she's gotta be ready anytime, anywhere. The only place that's off limits is when she's bathing or changing clothes."

Genma frowned. "The training is incomplete if you allow the student to feel there is a time that he can let his guard down."

Ranma growled. "We'll take our chances. You sneak in on Akane while she's bathing and I'll help her break your bones. However, I wasn't planning to mention to her that there will be times that are off limits."

Allowing the two fathers to return to their game, Ranma climbed the stairs to explain this new aspect of her training to Akane. He hoped that she'd take it calmly.

* * *

Akane, Yuka and Sayuri sat down under one of the trees in the schoolyard and opened their bento. Before they could begin eating, an arm suddenly darted around from behind Akane, and left a dab of toothpaste on her nose. She shrieked and jumped up, almost spilling her lunch on the ground in her haste. Her hands clenched in fists as she watched Ranma stroll off casually to join Hiroshi and Daisuke.

Sitting back down with grumbled curses, Akane pulled out a handkerchief and wiped off her nose. Her friends were both staring at her. "What was that all about?" Yuka asked inquisitively.

Akane huffed. "Just a ... a _stupid_ training program Ranma started last night. He and our fathers attempt to do _stupid_ things like that, and I'm somehow supposed to notice them sneaking up on me before they do it. And all three of them are _really_ good at sneaking around, damn it!"

Sayuri said rather doubtfully, "Ranma certainly seems to insist on making you do a lot of training."

"You don't know the half of it," Akane grumped. "It got a lot worse this weekend. Let me tell you about it ..."

Over by Ranma, Hiroshi was asking, "What was that all about? Playing games with your fiancée?"

Ranma scowled, but there was no real anger behind it. "Just a new training technique. Don't read nothing into it."

"Whatever you say, Ranma," Hiroshi replied, trying to sound nonchalant. "Hey Daisuke, could you give me one of those packages of wasabi?"

"Sure, here."

The little packet came flying over. Hiroshi grabbed it out of the air, squeezing unintentionally. "Thanks. Hey! Shit man, why didn't you tell me it was open! Uh, um, sorry about that, Ranma. It was an accident, right?"

Ranma was looking down at the dark stain on his white shirt. He gave a heavy sigh. "Yeah, yeah. It was an accident. Sometimes I think you're a walking accident." He scrubbed at the spot with a napkin, removing some of the excess.

They continued with their lunch, eating and talking about what they'd be doing in gym class that afternoon. When they were about halfway done, the automatic sprinklers hidden in the lawn suddenly turned on, spraying water everywhere.

"What the hell!" numerous voices screamed. Students everywhere were jumping to their feet, making a mad dash for the doors into the school. Without pausing to think about it, Ranma and Akane ran toward one another before anyone could take the time to notice their changed genders, confusing the eye as to who had come from which direction. The crowd of students that entered the building contained one male Ranma figure and one female Akane figure, just as it should.

As the students milled around, trying to sort themselves out to go to their classrooms and finish their lunches, the P.A. system came to life. "Attention. We're very sorry, but the sprinkler system seems to have suffered a malfunction. We're working on fixing it, but in the meantime everyone should stay inside the school."

"Well gosh," Daisuke remarked acerbically, "it never would have occurred to me to stay inside."

"Hey Ranma," Hiroshi asked, "why didn't you just jump through the classroom window?"

"Uh ..." The person he addressed had to think about it. "I guess it just didn't occur to me."

Hiroshi laughed. "Yeah, well ..." He trailed off, staring. Daisuke looked at where he was staring, which was the front of "Ranma's" shirt. It suddenly occurred to Daisuke what was troubling his friend. There was no stain on the shirt, except for the obvious marks the water had left.

At that precise moment, "Akane" walked by. There was a very obvious stain on her shirt. It even had that funny little curl on the lower left that Daisuke remembered noticing while he was talking to Ranma. "What the hell?"

The girl who appeared to be Akane turned to regard him curiously. Hiroshi started pointing back and forth between the two shirts. "Huh? ... Wh-why would you have changed your shirts? I mean, I would've noticed if A-A-Akane had p-pulled off her sh-shirt while ..."

The boy he thought of as Ranma hit him over the back of the head, causing him to stagger forward. Beside him Daisuke said, "I'm sure she didn't do anything like that." He was thinking hard. Looking at Ranma and Akane he declared, "I ran right up behind you two, and you were in my sight the whole time. I'd swear that neither of you took off your shirt."

The girl wearing the stained shirt looked around nervously at the other students nearby. "Dammit! We gotta take this elsewhere. Come on!" Ranma grabbed Hiroshi and Daisuke by their collars and dragged them with him. Akane, in her male form, together with Yuka and Sayuri, trailed behind. The latter pair had already guessed what had happened.

The six of them entered the empty home ec classroom and shut the door behind them. The girl they thought of as Akane turned on the two boys with a fierce glare. "We're about to show you something. You will keep it a deep, dark secret. If you tell anyone about it, you die. Understand?"

Both Hiroshi and Daisuke swallowed in fear. Unable to speak, they nodded their heads. They also both noticed that Yuka and Sayuri were grinning, as they stood nearby watching this byplay.

"Now, Ranma," Yuka began, causing immediate and deep confusion in the two boys. "Was that really very nice? Akane only swore us to secrecy. She never used any threats."

In the meantime, the real Akane had poured some hot water into a couple of measuring cups. She came back over and handed one to Ranma. Lifting them over their heads, they poured. Hiroshi's and Daisuke's jaws hit the floor as Ranma and Akane appeared to switch places.

"Wh-wh-what's going on?" Daisuke whispered. He was honestly starting to feel frightened.

"Calm down, you guys, you'll get used to it," Sayuri attempted to reassure them. Turning to the cursed duo, she added, "You'd better hurry up and explain before they bolt."

Ranma sighed. He launched into the explanation about Jusenkyo, getting cursed, waking Akane, and finding that she was cursed as well. Both of the boys were staring at him in awe when he was done. There was also a trace of disbelief in their expressions, but that was mostly overruled by what they had just seen with their own eyes.

Hiroshi started stuttering. "Y-you, you mean to say, that e-every time you get wet, your b-body changes into Akane _Tendo's_? That would mean - whenever you take a _bath_?!" A line of drool snaked down his chin from the corner of his mouth.

Akane marched over and whacked him upside the head, causing him to crash into the wall and fall to the floor. "Keep your perverted thoughts to yourself! Which reminds me ..." She gave Daisuke an evil look as she stepped over beside him. He watched her very nervously.

In a purring whisper, Akane told him, "That was me, not Ranma, sitting beside you on Thursday when the baseball hit me. Do you remember what you said that distracted me?" A expression of terror lit Daisuke's face, a moment before he went crashing into the wall himself.

Ranma crouched beside the two boys, who were both still lying on the floor. He smiled maliciously. "The next time you two start asking me perverted stuff, you'd better stop and wonder - is that really Ranma? Or could it be Akane?" Both boys looked up at him in horror.

After the two boys climbed to their feet, they nervously asked a few questions. However, their glances kept straying over to Akane, standing there, watching them. As a result, their hearts weren't really in it. They just wanted to escape and find a quiet place where they could take some time to adjust to all of this craziness.

While the boys were quizzing Ranma, Akane was standing off to the side with Yuka and Sayuri. Yuka quietly said, "I meant to ask while we were eating lunch. Are you and Ranma switching places today? You haven't said anything about it."

Akane shook her head. "Ranma wanted to take a couple of days off after hitting me with the baseball last Thursday. I think it shook him a little. We were discussing swapping during math class tomorrow." She grinned wryly. "If we do, I hope he doesn't get called on in my place."

Her two friends grinned and nodded. They all looked up at the sound of the warning bell ringing for the next class period, which cut short the boys' questions. "Aw hell," Ranma complained. "I never finished my lunch!"

* * *

When the bell rang for the end of math class and the start of lunch period, Ranma rose from Akane's desk with a sense of relief. While he hadn't said anything to her about it, he had been very worried that the teacher might call on him in Akane's place. His heart was lightened considerably at having escaped unscathed.

As he stood up, Ranma suddenly found himself flanked on both sides by Yuka and Sayuri. They grabbed his arms and hustled him out of the classroom. "Come on, Akane," Sayuri said. "We don't get enough chances to talk these days. You never seem to have time before or after school."

They were stepping through a swinging door. Ranma looked up at the sign on the door as he passed through, then struggled not to recoil in horror as he found himself being dragged into the girls' restroom.

Sayuri leaned over a sink and looked into a mirror as she started to apply some lip gloss. Yuka leaned back against one of the walls casually, her arms crossed. Looking into the face of her friend, she asked, "So, Akane, have you told Ranma yet that you really want him to be your fiancé?"

Ranma stared at Yuka in shock. "I-I-I do?" A tremor passed over him as he visibly pulled himself together. "I-I mean, n-no. I h-haven't told him. It's ... I need ... need more time to think about it."

Yuka replied thoughtfully, "Don't you think you'd better snatch him up while he's available? What if some other girl catches his eye? He might decide to pick her instead."

The boy-turned-girl was sweating heavily. How had he gotten into this conversation? "I ... I don't really think so. I ... he doesn't really have time for girls right now. Training, y'know?"

"But how can you be suuuure?" Sayuri pressed from her position over the sink. "There are lots of girls who wouldn't mind going out with him. He might pick one of them."

Ranma shook his head in quick jerks. "I'm sure if ... he ... picked anyone, he'd pick A- ... me."

Yuka smirked. From her position over the sink, Sayuri grinned. Changing the subject after this admission, the latter said, "By the way, did you two notice those tight pants that Kazuki was wearing today? What a cute butt. Don't you think so, Akane?" She smiled sweetly while Yuka gave her a frown from out of sight behind Ranma.

Outside the restroom, Akane was fuming while trying not to stare directly at the door. What were they up to in there? She was still in Ranma's body, and the hall was crowded so she couldn't just march in. She swore that she'd pay her two friends back for this.

Back inside, Sayuri had stepped closer to Ranma. "Here, Akane, let me put some of this on you." She held up the lip gloss.

Ranma tried to step backward, but bumped into Yuka. "N-no, thanks. I don't r-really want ..."

"Oh come on, Akane. There's nothing improper about a little lip gloss at school. Hold still." With a smile she managed to apply a thin coat to Ranma's lips.

Yuka cleared her throat. "I, uh, think we'd better ..."

Sayuri interrupted as she turned her back. "Akane, could you help me please. I think my bra strap is twisted." Her hands reached for the top buttons of her shirt.

Ranma made an "eep" sound and the room swam in front of his eyes. He was afraid he might fall over. From behind him, Yuka's voice hissed, "Sayuri, you pervert! This wasn't what we ... er ..."

Ranma turned and stared at her frightened gaze. He then spun back around, taking in Sayuri's mischievous grin. "You knew! The whole time! You ... you ..." His mouth opened and closed, unable to continue speaking. He turned on his heel and marched out of the restroom, colliding with Akane who had just made up her mind to go in whether it looked perverted or not. With one last seething look toward the two girls still in the restroom, Akane and Ranma took off down the hall.

* * *

Both Akane and Ranma suffered from short tempers most of that week. For Akane, this was due less to the restroom incident than to the constant barrage of surprise attacks, on top of the unending training sessions. The attacks kept her reeling with confusion while the training left her dropping from exhaustion. As for Ranma, not only did he remain upset with Yuka and Sayuri, although they did apologize later than afternoon, but he was also being pestered endlessly by Daisuke and Hiroshi. Whenever they were sure of his identity, they plied him with questions about Akane's body. Pounding on the pair didn't stop them, it barely even slowed them down.

On the other hand, Ranma found it easier to forgive the two boys the day he tripped over a bucket and splashed water all over himself in the hallway. Daisuke and Hiroshi were with him when it happened. His two friends stood between him and the other students in the hall, mostly hiding him from sight, until he was able to duck into a restroom to get some hot water.

On top of all these things, they had another minor run in with Kuno. There was also the ever present question of when Ryoga would reappear and attack to finish their duel. Ranma had warned Principal Watanabe of the Hibiki boy's intentions, and had promised to try to lead him away from the school when he showed up. The big concern was when that would occur.

When school let out on Thursday, Ranma casually closed in from behind Akane as she walked across the school yard. He was just about to make his move, one finger extended with a bit of toothpaste on the end, when Akane suddenly spun around and clobbered him with her schoolbag.

"Ha! Got you!" she crowed in victory.

Ranma climbed back to his feet, looking with mild dismay at the smear of toothpaste on his shirt. "Yeah, you did. Congratulations! I ..."

He stopped short, looking over her shoulder with an oddly blank expression. Akane's pleased look faded into confusion and she turned around to see what he was looking at. Standing at the edge of the soccer field was Ryoga Hibiki.

"About time," Ranma mumbled scornfully. He took off walking quickly, and Akane hurried to catch up. Within moments, they were facing Ryoga from a distance of several meters.

Other students had begun to take notice. They drifted over, like moths drawn to a flame, calling out to others who hadn't noticed yet. The hillside around the soccer field filled up with spectators.

Ryoga proclaimed, loudly and nastily, "So Ranma, you finally had the guts to show up!"

All eyes turned to see Ranma's response. With a huge effort, he ignored the jibe. "Listen, Ryoga, there's no need for us to fight."

As far as Ranma was concerned, this whole business was just silly. It was time to try to defuse the situation. Slowly, his hand reached inside his schoolbag for the item he would use to negotiate a truce with his opponent. An item obtained at his own expense several days earlier.

Ranma called out, "This should make us even." He tossed the object through the air to his opponent. Ryoga snatched it in confusion and looked down at what he held.

"Curry bread?!"

* * *

**Author's note:**

I've got no idea why FFnet didn't send out story alerts to those of you who have me on author alert, when I posted chapter 1. Just one of those little glitches we know and love so well on the site. Anyway, here's chapter 2, and I hope you enjoy it.

Yes, yes, I know. Everyone was expecting more fighting with Ryoga. The first big confrontation with Ryoga will be right at the beginning of chapter 3, and will form a significant chunk of that chapter.


	3. Ryoga Returns

**Side by Side  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Sequel to _Togetherness_. Alternate universe story in which Ranma and Akane are cursed to change into duplicates of one another.

* * *

**Chapter 3. Ryoga Returns**

"Curry bread?!" Ryoga repeated loudly, shouting the question at Ranma. "What is this?"

The two boys faced each other in the middle of the soccer field, separated by a distance of several meters. Akane had followed Ranma. Now she stood behind him and a little to his left. A crowd of their fellow students had collected to sit on the hill surrounding the field, with more arriving every minute, all of them hoping for an exciting battle.

Ranma had told the principal he would try to avoid a fight which would damage school property, or at least lead it away from the school. His plan to try to avoid the fight was to deal with what he assumed to be the original source of Ryoga's enmity. Namely the bread fights at their old school. So Ranma had tossed Ryoga a loaf of bread just like the one they had first fought over in the cafeteria all those months ago. However, it looked like the peace offering of curry bread wasn't having the hoped for effect.

"Okay, okay," Ranma called placatingly. "If you're going to be greedy ..." He reached into his schoolbag again, then tossed some chow mein bread to Ryoga. He repeated the gesture with melon bread, seaweed bread, and several other loaves he had purchased at the bakery the previous weekend. Ryoga fielded each loaf, catching them almost automatically.

When his bag was empty, Ranma gave a beatific smile, confident that they could put this behind them and be friends again. "Did I get them all?" he asked cheerfully. "I tried to remember every kind the cafeteria offered."

Akane was looking at Ranma strangely while Ryoga was glared at the pile of loaves in his arms in a state of angry confusion. His voice rising in pitch with each word, he yelled, "What ... what ... what _is_ this?!"

Ranma tilted his head to the side. "You wanted to duel with me 'cause I beat you to the bread at lunch, right? Last fall? At school? That's to make up for it."

"This isn't about bread, you jackass!" Ryoga yelled. He looked down at the loaves he held, reading the words, "Do not use past 29 May." Today was the 31st. He squeezed his fists, smashing the bread. Typical Ranma, Ryoga thought to himself. Looking back up, he shouted, "And even if it was, only a moron would ask for forgiveness using stale bread!"

Ranma shrugged. "Hey, you're the one who decided to wait a week to show up again. The bread was fresh when I bought it."

Ryoga shook his head, teeth gritted in anger, but chose not to respond verbally. He slowly slipped the straps of his enormous pack off of his shoulders, and set it purposefully on the ground. He pulled out his umbrella with a sense of determination, then turned to face Ranma with an evil smile.

Ranma saw that his hopes of settling the matter peacefully were lost. "Sheesh. Listen, if you wanna fight, okay, but the principal wants ... whoa!" The last was exclaimed as he barely dodged the demented flying umbrella once again.

Ryoga charged right behind the umbrella. Ranma started blocking blows. "Damn it! The least you could do is tell me why we're fighting! You said it wasn't the bread ..."

Ryoga growled while trying to get in a solid hit. "I already told you. I want _revenge_! Thanks to you, I've seen hell!"

"What are you _talking_ about!" Ranma shouted, twisting around, dodging blows. He was so focused on the other boy that he momentarily lost track of what was around him. Ranma collided with Akane forcefully enough that a grunt of breath was driven from both of them. He silently berated himself for not noticing that she hadn't moved out of the way when the fight started, especially after the way he'd been going on at her about insufficient awareness of her surroundings. That lapse caused him to snap more brusquely than he intended, "Damn it, Akane! I'm in the middle of a fight here. Could I have some room?"

Akane scowled at Ranma, but moved off toward the side of the field. She saw a boy doing something with Ryoga's umbrella and headed in that direction.

Ryoga decided he'd had enough of the way Ranma was dancing around, avoiding his just vengeance. He yanked a bandanna off of his head, using the opportunity while his rival was talking to the girl who had been with him, whipping the cloth around Ranma's wrist. Ranma felt the tug at his arm and turned back around to find that Ryoga had tied a bandanna around his wrist, holding onto the other end.

"This'll keep you from running away," Ryoga smirked. He aimed another blow at Ranma's head, which Ranma easily dodged despite his trapped hand.

Ranma looked down at the bandanna tied around his wrist. Then he looked back up at the bandanna wrapped around Ryoga's head. Although confused, he didn't let it slow him down. Still, he decided he had to know. "Uh, Ryoga? How many bandannas are you _wearing_?" Ranma aimed a kick toward his opponent's head as he asked the question.

While the fight continued down on the field, Akane reached the boys who were gathered around the umbrella. One of them was struggling in vain to lift it, while complaining, "This thing weights a ton!"

Akane stepped up beside him, causing the boy to let go of the umbrella in surprise. She went to pick it up herself, only to have her hand slip off of the handle when the weight proved to be far greater than she expected. Remembering Ranma's lessons, she breathed carefully and focused her chi, then lifted the umbrella with her hand. It was enormously heavy. Feeling sudden concern, she turned around quickly, still holding the umbrella. The boys around her drew back in fear.

Akane was remembering the way that Ryoga swung the umbrella around one-handed as if its weight were nothing. She saw that her friend was grappling with Ryoga. Akane shouted, "Ranma! Don't stay in close! He has the strength of a monster!"

The boys nearby stared at Akane, as she stood there holding the umbrella. Most of them were thinking the same thought - "_Who_ did she say has the strength of a monster?"

Ryoga smiled. "That warning's not going to do you any good, Ranma." He punched again, just grazing the side of Ranma's face.

Ranma fell backwards away from the blow, causing Ryoga to overextend above him. This gave him the opportunity to kick upward, striking Ryoga's back with enough force to make him fall forward. Ranma followed up on the kick with a somersault, landing in a sitting position on Ryoga's back, holding him down.

It was Ranma's turn to smile. "Didn't really need a warning, lost boy. Let's see you get out of this."

Ryoga, on knees and one hand, his other hand still holding the bandanna tied to Ranma, felt humiliated. Which only fueled his anger all the more greatly. "You ... _dare_ ... to try to push me ... to my _knees_!"

Using his monstrous strength, he did a handstand using the one hand which was already on the ground, then launched the two of them high into the air. Ranma came off of Ryoga's back as the two of them flew through the air together, connected by Ryoga's grip on the bandanna.

‹Crap! He really _is_ stronger than I expected,› Ranma thought to himself, while dodging kicks.

Ranma maneuvered the both of them in midair so that he came down first, landing on his hands. As soon as he touched down, he kicked hard with both feet, connecting dead center on Ryoga's chest. The boy finally lost his hold on his end of the bandanna, flying through the air to land, slightly dazed, at Akane's feet.

Ranma started running over, eyes intent on his opponent. Ryoga climbed to his feet, his own eyes burning. With a glance to the side, he snatched at his umbrella, only to stare in disbelief as the girl pulled it to the side out of his reach.

"Give me my umbrella!" he yelled.

"No!" Akane yelled back just as loudly, if not louder.

Ryoga continued to stare, even more stupefied. He wanted to say something else to the girl, but there wasn't time. He turned back to face Ranma just in time to block a punch. They traded more kicks and punches, most of which failed to connect.

"Ranma!" Akane called. "Remember what Principal Watanabe said."

Ranma grunted as a punch caught him in the shoulder. Grimacing, he commanded, "Follow me, Ryoga. We gotta take this elsewhere!" With that, he jumped over the fence at the edge of the field.

"Come back here, Ranma!" Ryoga yelled, jumping after him. He chased after his enemy, who seemed intent on getting off of the school grounds completely. "Stand and fight me! Don't you run away! Damn it, you're acting like a girl!"

Ranma saw red. He stopped beside an outdoor water fountain and spun around. He shouted, "Don't call me a _girl_!" then kicked just as Ryoga came within range. The boy barely managed to dodge the kick, which struck the water fountain instead, smashing a large crack in the side.

Akane had jumped over the fence right behind the pair, arriving just after this kick. The three of them saw a thin stream of water spray out. The crack visibly widened, lengthened, generated more cracks. The stream of water rapidly increased in volume, clearly on the brink of exploding forth.

"Oh ... damn," Ranma muttered in resignation.

"Ranma!" Akane cried out in concern, alerting both boys to her presence.

Ryoga was at her side in two quick steps. "Give me my umbrella!" he told her fiercely. There seemed almost to be a trace of panic in his voice.

"I already told you no," Akane hissed, moving the umbrella behind her back.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ryoga saw the fountain split apart. An enormous geyser of water shot up into the air. "Give me my umbrella _now_!" he shouted, reaching for Akane.

She snarled. "You want it? _Fine_!"

Taking the handle in both hands, Akane spun around. The umbrella smashed into Ryoga's gut and sent him flying through the air. He landed a good twenty meters away with a crash, out of range of the geyser of water and still dry.

Akane and Ranma were not so lucky. The water came crashing down over their heads, instantly triggering their curses and obscuring them from view. When they stepped out from under the water, everything appeared to be as expected, except that "Ranma" was now holding the umbrella.

The other students, who had been forced to go around the fence instead of over it, finally came running up. Noticing their presence, Akane reached out and laid a hand on Ranma's arm. "Everyone thinks that I'm you," she said. "You're going to have to let me continue the fight."

"Like hell I will," Ranma grunted quietly. "Try to remember what I told you!" He then ran toward Ryoga. Everyone, including Ryoga, gasped in surprise as they saw the one they took to be Akane launching an attack.

With a muffled curse, Akane chased after Ranma. She thought about dropping the heavy umbrella, but didn't want Ryoga to get his hands on it again. The way he threw it around, somebody was eventually going to get hurt by the thing.

Ryoga had paused in confusion when the girl - who was she, anyway? - came running toward him, apparently intending to attack. He wasn't sure how to respond. Then he saw Ranma running toward him behind the girl and his lip curled up, exposing a fang. He tore four bandannas off of his head and snapped them out, leaving them hard as steel and razor sharp.

He struck a pose, grimly declaring, "This ends now! My bandannas will strike you from every direction!" With that, he launched them into the air, and watched them fly toward the figure of Ranma.

Ranma suddenly realized that this attack was aimed not at him, but behind him, and in that moment became aware of the sound of Akane's pounding feet. Akane gasped as a sudden sensation of danger hit her, then spotted the bandannas flying toward her. At the same time, Ranma skidded to a stop and jumped backward. Seizing the umbrella before Akane could react, he yanked it open, grabbed Akane around the waist and leaped into the air. Two of the bandannas passed beneath their feet while the open umbrella deflected the other two.

The crowd of students stared with jaws agape. The former members of the hentai horde were especially horrified. Bad enough that Akane had managed to lift and carry the umbrella that none of them could budge. Now she was swinging it around with ease, using it as a defensive weapon, and at the same time leaping high through the air carrying both it _and_ Ranma Saotome at the same time.

The couple landed on the roof of a bicycle shed. They held onto each other tightly for several seconds, until they realized what they were doing. At that they quickly separated, putting a little distance between themselves, both faces growing rosy.

"Idiot," Akane said, managing to sound both fond and exasperated at the same time. "Everyone just saw Akane Tendo rescue Ranma Saotome, and jump through the air carrying him."

Ranma's head turned and took in the crowd of students staring up at them in awe. "Oy," was all he managed to come up with. Dismissing the attentive audience, he turned back around to face Akane again. Arching his eyebrows, he asked, "_What_ ... did you think you were doing?"

"Fighting Ryoga," she responded matter-of-factly. "What? Did you want everyone to see _you_ standing around watching _Akane_ fight Ryoga?"

"You ain't ready to fight him head on, damn it!" Ranma was trying to be reasonable, or thought he was. At least as reasonable as he could be under the circumstances.

"Oh yeah!" Akane returned. "And just what ..." She got no further as the roof suddenly collapsed underneath them.

The people on the ground, unable to hear the conversation on the roof, had transferred their attention to Ryoga, watching with puzzled incomprehension as he pulled the belt from around his waist. He snapped it out, leaving it as stiff as a bar of iron. With one swing he used it to slice through one of the supports for the roof of the shed, then sliced through it again a little higher on the backswing. With thirty centimeters of support pole missing, the roof had promptly obeyed the law of gravity and fallen.

Akane and Ranma landed lightly on their feet among the remains of the roof and bicycles with Akane still facing Ranma. Looking over his shoulder, she saw Ryoga running toward them with what appeared to be some sort of bladed weapon. Akane grabbed the umbrella and ran to meet him. Ranma, who had his back to Ryoga, paused for a few moments in confusion as she ran past.

Ryoga saw the person he took to be Ranma running toward him, raising the umbrella in attack. With a snarl, he swung his belt through an arc to strike and curl around the umbrella. A yank resulted in the belt slicing through the umbrella, leaving only a stub in Akane's hand.

With a gulp, Akane saw Ryoga prepare to strike again. However, she had in fact remembered Ranma's words to her about fighting Ryoga, not needing the additional warning a minute ago. She thought fast and spat out, "I bet you felt pretty stupid chasing me all the way to China when you could have just waited here."

Ryoga's eyes blazed with the flames of hell. He drew his arm back, preparing to slice down with his belt in an overhead blow which would cleave "Ranma" from head to toe. Ranma himself had just finished spinning around to face them when he heard Akane's words, and then saw Ryoga erupt in fury. Akane smirked, seeing her words have the desired effect as Ryoga's next move was telegraphed from a kilometer away.

Ryoga's arm swung down. Akane's foot kicked up. Her heel slammed into Ryoga's forearm, forcing him to release his hold on the belt, which went spinning off through the air. Ranma saw the belt heading his way like a buzzsaw and ducked, the breeze of its passage ruffling his hair. More than ruffling it, he discovered as he sprang back up. A dark flow of hair slid off his shoulders to land on the ground.

Ranma's only thought was, ‹Glad I was in my girl form.› Since the dragon whisker was lying on the ground with most of his ponytail, had he been male his hair would now be growing rapidly, leaving him unable to fight effectively.

Ryoga watched in horror as his belt nearly decapitated the unknown girl, his body tense and twisting as if he could influence it in its flight. He gave a deep sigh of relief when it missed. Then it became apparent that most of her hair had been shorn off. As she ran up to him, Ryoga braced himself for the scolding of his lifetime.

Which left him completely unprepared when the girl clobbered him. Not expecting a physical attack, he wasn't prepared to block any of Ranma's punches. Ryoga slumped to the ground unconscious. Ranma stepped back with a smile of victory.

The other students clustered around closer. In particular, the girls swarmed around Ranma. "Oh, Akane!" "Your hair!" "How can you stand it?!" "What'll you do?!" And softer, puzzled, "Why aren't you more upset?"

"Huh?" responded Ranma in bewilderment.

Akane herself broke through the ring of girls. She grabbed one of Ranma's arms and put her other hand to his forehead. "She's obviously in shock!" Akane exclaimed, referring to Ranma. "I mean, what girl _wouldn't_ be, after finding herself in a crowd of people with her hair cut like that? Right, Akane?" Her voice was rife with hidden meaning, and she dug an elbow into Ranma's ribs.

"Oh, uh, right," Ranma said. "Shock, yeah." He tried to look like he was in shock, but it came across more as a look of constipation.

"I think I'd better get her home," Akane said quickly. "Let her rest. Give her time to recover." She tugged on Ranma's arm, pulling him off through the gathered students.

"Oh, um, thanks," Ranma acknowledged. Looking down, he couldn't help speaking sharply. "Just a moment!" Bending down, he picked up the remains of his ponytail from the ground. "I'm gonna need this later," he said meaningfully. Akane nodded to show she understood.

As they walked down the street, Akane commented, "Glad it was your hair and not mine."

"Gee, thanks," Ranma retorted.

Akane smiled at him. "You know what I mean. As soon as you change, you can grow it back almost immediately."

"But what're we gonna tell everyone at school?" Ranma complained. "They all think they saw you with your hair cut off."

"We'll think of something." In Ranma's opinion, she was being much too nonchalant about it. The truth was, Akane was still riding a wave of victory at having successfully faced down Ryoga, however briefly. "For now, let's just concentrate on getting you changed back before anyone else sees you looking like that."

The two of them carefully entered the house, intending to go immediately into the kitchen and change back, but they heard Kasumi moving around in there. That meant they needed another source of hot water, so they tried to sneak past to go to the furoba. Unfortunately, Kasumi heard them moving around and stepped out into the hallway behind them.

"Hello Akane. Ranma. I'm glad to see you're ..." She stopped in shock, and dropped the plates she was carrying. Akane dove forward just in time to grab them before they hit the floor. Ranma was grimacing, feeling pinned by Kasumi's stare.

"Oh, Akane! Your haaaiiir!" she wailed.

"Oh, uh, um. Don't worry about it," Ranma muttered.

"Don't worry about it!" Kasumi cried. "How can you say that?"

"Er, uh." Ranma looked around wildly. His eyes seized on Akane. "Ranma has an idea to take care of it!"

Kasumi turned a puzzled look on Akane. "Ranma?"

Akane glared at the boy wearing her face. "Yeah. Right. An idea. Why don't we go try it?" She grabbed Ranma's arm and dragged him down the hall, leaving a thoroughly confused Kasumi behind them.

Once the door to the changing room closed behind them, Akane tore into Ranma. "You just had to go and open your big mouth, didn't you?"

"What was I supposed to say?" Ranma responded, befuddled. "She saw me with short hair, and in a few minutes it's going to be long again. We're gonna have to tell her something."

Akane gave him an evil look. "Maybe I'll just insist we stay in these genders until your hair grows back naturally."

Ranma was first horrified, then his eyes narrowed in anger. "Yeah, right. As if you could handle being a guy for that long."

"Ha!" Akane answered this. "I could handle being a guy for longer than you could handle being a girl!"

Ranma crossed his arms. "Is that a _challenge_?" he asked quietly.

Akane crossed her own arms. "Yeah." Her voice was hard, with a touch of dark humor added.

Ranma bit his lip, hesitant, as a vision of the immediate future presented itself to him. "Er, well, y'know, we've already swapped places several times recently. And this wouldn't be for just an hour or so. Do you really think ...?"

"Scared?" Akane asked, one eyebrow raised. "Think you can't do it?"

Ranma gritted his teeth. "I can do it better than you can."

Although her carefully schooled features weren't showing it, Akane was nervous about this whole idea. She wondered what had possessed her to push so hard. Still she was certain that she could win _this_ contest. "Are we agreed then? Whoever holds out longest from changing back on purpose wins?"

"Fine." Ranma grinned a demonic grin, from knowing something his friend didn't.

"Fine." Akane was determined to put him in his place.

Ranma leaned against the wall at his back, and allowed a smug expression to appear on his face. "By the way, did I happen to mention Hiroshi, Daisuke and I have an appointment at a massage parlor tomorrow afternoon?"

"What?!" Akane shrieked.

Ranma sighed melodramatically, having purposefully goaded her. "Not _that_ kind of massage parlor. It's legit. Daisuke's uncle works there, and he offered Daisuke a discount if he wanted to come in and invite a couple of friends. We're supposed to get a Swedish massage. I promise you, his uncle ain't my type."

"Oh." Akane's anger was fading, replaced by a measure of concern that she would find herself mostly undressed, being massaged by some man. Still, she couldn't let Ranma win that easily. So she leaned back against the sink, looking equally smug. "Did I happen to mention that after school tomorrow, I promised to go shopping with Yuka and Sayuri?"

Ranma grimaced at the thought of shopping, but knew he could survive being bored for a few hours. "And whoever wins this little challenge ...?"

Akane shrugged. "Let's not get too carried away. Loser treats the winner to ice cream. Okay?"

Ranma tilted his head and smiled. "Okay. Of course, I can eat a _lot_ of ice cream." He chuckled, then opened the door. They went back out.

Kasumi called to them before they could go back upstairs. When they stepped into the kitchen, she asked, "What was Ranma's idea? Do you think it can really help?"

Akane looked over at Ranma, then back at her sister. "I, uh, yeah, it'll help. But it might take a couple of days."

Kasumi was still very confused, but decided to concentrate on more immediate concerns. "Akane, why don't you sit down and let me fix your hair up for you? So that it looks a little better."

Ranma looked over at Akane, who nodded. He sat down in the chair, and Kasumi went over to a drawer then came back with a towel and some scissors. As she was cutting the hair of the person she assumed to be her sister, her eyes widened slightly. Taking a closer look, she realized that the scar left by Tatewaki Kuno's treacherous attack was not present on the temple of the girl before her. A covert glance in the direction of "Ranma" revealed the faint hint of the scar beneath "his" hair. Why were they pretending? Sooner or later it would become clear just whose hair had been cut short. For the time being, however, she decided to play along.

"There. All finished," Kasumi announced.

Akane smiled. "It looks pretty good," she said. She frowned, sticking her tongue out slightly in thought, unaware of its protrusion. It actually _was_ a pretty good look for her. Maybe under other circumstances ... but no, life was what it was. She would continue to wear her hair in a ponytail to match Ranma's. Or at least to match it once it grew back out.

Ranma patted his hair. "Er, thanks, er ... oneechan."

Kasumi smiled. "You're welcome, Akane." For just a moment, Ranma thought he saw a hint of mischief in that smile. Then it was gone and he convinced himself that he must have been mistaken.

The rest of the family members extended their condolences to Akane over the loss of her hair as they became aware of it. Genma, of course, never noticed. Things went smoothly throughout dinner, homework and their evening practice. There was a slight hiccup as bedtime rolled around and they realized they were going to have to sleep in each other's rooms, but they coped.

Ranma settled himself into Akane's bed comfortably enough. It was a bit unusual to be wearing pajamas, but at least Akane didn't favor what he thought of as _girly_ pajamas. It wasn't long before he had fallen asleep.

Akane was having more trouble. She was accustomed to her bed rather than a futon. She was accustomed to sleeping in pajamas, and felt uncomfortable lying there wearing only underwear. Most of all, she was very uncomfortable because it was _Ranma's_ underwear that she was wearing. To make matters worse, Genma's snores were making it difficult to sleep. After a little bit, a feeling of deja vu swept over Akane, as she remembered sleeping pretty much like this during those two weeks she was trapped inside Ranma's head. With that thought, she was finally able to settle down and allow herself to drift away.

* * *

The next morning, Akane managed to avoid any danger of being thrown into the koi pond by the simple expedient of waking up well before Genma. A feat which apparently came more easily to her than to Ranma, judging by Kasumi's repeated calls for "Akane" to get up. This was just as well, since her failure to change gender on landing in the pond would have made it immediately clear who she was, leading to all sorts of questions. She and Ranma had a training session that morning, and the training session with Genma that afternoon was canceled thanks to Ranma's planned outing with his friends. An outing whose purpose he had carefully avoided mentioning to his father, not wanting to risk having the older man decide to join them.

Just before leaving the dojo to go back in the house, Ranma mentioned with a malicious grin, "I hope you realize you're going to have to wear my underwear all day. Since you're going straight to the massage parlor after school. At least, you'd _better_ not be planning to take a risk Hiroshi or Daisuke may see my body wearing girls' underwear."

Akane grimaced, still wondering how she was going to get out of undressing in front of the two boys. She figured she could handle the underwear itself. After all, she'd already worn the same kind all night. Ranma on the other hand ...

"And I hope _you_ realize," Akane riposted, "that you're going to have to wear _my_ underwear all day. Since you're going shopping right after school, and that means you're likely to be trying on clothes where my friends can see you."

Ranma looked poleaxed. Akane would have liked to indulge herself in the feeling of having one-upped him, except she felt anything but. The truth was, the necessity to which she had just given voice had escaped her notice until that very moment. She now realized that the idea Ranma would be wearing _her_ underwear all day was making her much more uncomfortable than the idea that she'd be wearing his all day. She might have called off the challenge then and there, were it not that these emotions were slightly buffered by the memory of the mental intimacy they had shared back in China, when they had worn both male and female underwear in the same body.

Besides, she really wanted to see him admit that she had won at something.

Not wanting to risk giving away any of what she was feeling, Akane quickly slipped out of the dojo and back into the house. At breakfast, she noted that Ranma was late coming down to join them. Actually, everyone else noticed that "Akane" was late as well, but only the real Akane correctly guessed the reason. Ranma had stood in her bedroom for quite some time before he finally worked up the nerve to put on some of Akane's underclothes.

Both teenagers managed to get through the school day without mishap. Akane found a chance to speak to Yuka and Sayuri before the first bell, and warned them that she and Ranma had switched places until further notice, and that he was the one who would be shopping with them later. Her two friends decided to hold off on any schemes to tease Ranma until after school.

Gym class presented no problem that day, since both the boys and girls were meeting in classrooms for a lecture on hygiene. To be more accurate, this meant there was no problem about the locker rooms. Both Ranma and Akane found themselves distinctly uneasy sitting in on a lecture about proper hygiene for people of the other gender. It was all Yuka and Sayuri could do not to laugh out loud at the expressions crossing Ranma's face.

After school the three girls dropped off their school bags at Yuka's house, which was closest, then took off for downtown. Much of it was, as Ranma had feared, incredibly tedious. The other two kept asking him for his opinion on things, and he never had any idea what to tell them. As Akane had warned, they did try on clothing, although it was mostly Ranma and Sayuri who did so. Yuka somehow managed to avoid this, for the most part. Sayuri, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy modeling the different outfits for the other two.

Their stop at the cosmetics counter of a department store turned into a small nightmare for Ranma. It was only the thought of losing the challenge to Akane which kept him from fleeing. First, he was asked for his opinion on several perfumes, which were sprayed on his arm. He thought the immediate ordeal had ended when the others finally heeded his pleas that he wasn't interested in _any_ perfume.

Unfortunately, things proceeded to get worse instead. They went to work on his face - make up, eye shadow, false eyelashes, lipstick. He kept protesting that he wasn't interested in trying any of that stuff, but he might as well have not spoken at all. They walked out of the store without giving him a chance to clean any of it off, and he cringed as passing men kept giving him second glances.

When they turned to enter a beauty parlor, Ranma tried to dig in his heels. The other two girls held both of his arms however, and managed to drag him inside. Yuka was explaining, "Come _on_, Akane! Kasumi did a good job with your hair, but wouldn't you like to have a professional do something with it?"

Ranma reconsidered and gave in. He was sure that he could handle a haircut. In this, he was correct. He had no trouble while the scissors flashed around his hair. The shampoo and hair dryer afterward were also no big deal. He was a little more nervous as the manicurist started clipping his nails, but he gritted his teeth and persevered. Then the woman pulled out colored nail polish.

"I ... I ... no thank you," Ranma stammered. He was scared that nail polish might be harder to completely remove than the junk they had put on his face. He pictured himself arriving at school with brightly colored fingernails and shuddered.

The woman paused, only a centimeter away from her target. Sayuri looked at Ranma as if she were confused. "What's wrong, Akane? You told several of us at lunch yesterday that you were planning to have your nails done today. Surely you're not going to change your mind? You don't want the others to think you chickened out, do you?"

Ranma stared at her, while Sayuri gave a go ahead wave to the manicurist. When the brush made contact, he gave an "eep!" and jumped out of the chair. Yuka frowned at him and put her hands on her hips, as she scolded firmly, "Akane, you sit right back down in that chair. Now." With that, his nerve broke, and he ran out of the building. The voices calling behind him only made him increase his speed in the direction of home and hot water.

In another part of town, Akane had been working up her nerves for what was coming. She had been trying to think of some idea to get out of undressing with the other two boys prior to the massage, but so far had come up empty. The only saving grace was that they would probably leave their boxers on. She felt a sense of doom settle over her as Daisuke pushed open the door and they entered the building.

They checked in with the receptionist, paid their fees, and sat down in the waiting room until their turn came up. ‹So far so good,› Akane thought to herself, flipping through an unexpectedly current issue of a magazine. She was working very hard not to think about what came next.

When the boys' names were called, Akane shuffled along behind the other two with her eyes cast down. Daisuke and Hiroshi were joking around with each other, and tossing the occasional teasing comment toward her, but so far hadn't seemed to sense anything unusual about her relatively withdrawn attitude. ‹You can do this!› Akane told herself, gritting her teeth. ‹You can't let Ranma win!›

Akane kept her face turned away from the other two boys. Her purpose was both to avoid seeing anything she didn't intend to see, as well as to try to hide her blushes. Even though she was male at the moment, and both of the others thought she was Ranma, it still made her intensely uneasy to disrobe in front of the pair. Further, her traitorous eyes kept trying to sneak peaks to the side. Her face flamed all the more hotly when she thus caught sight of the very brief briefs Hiroshi was wearing instead of boxers, and the poor job of concealment they provided for their contents.

Consequently, Akane's nerves were already rattled by the time she climbed up onto the table and lay down. She was trying to take deep calming breaths, telling herself to focus. When the masseuse entered the room, her eyes tracked his movements as he took out oils and set them to warm. In a sudden panic, Akane wondered if heated oil would have the same effect as hot water, and shuddered violently at the image of herself changing back to female during the massage.

"I ... I'd rather the oil wasn't heated, please." With chagrin, she noted that her request had sounded downright plaintive.

"Are you sure?" The man sounded startled.

Akane managed to nod her assurance, causing the man to shrug his shoulders and prepare to start the massage. On the table beside her, Daisuke murmured, "Are you nuts, Ranma?" She chose to ignore the question, and grunted as practiced hands dug into her muscles.

For all of Akane's disgust, and even hatred, of the hentai horde, and her general regard of all boys as perverts, her orientation was entirely normal. The man working so expertly on her body was fully adult, not some hormonal teenager. She was further forced to admit that he was quite handsome. With a dawning sense of horror, Akane realized that the action of his hands on her flesh was feeling entirely _too_ good. In combination with his pleasing appearance, this produced a reaction which could not long escape notice in her currently male body.

Akane sat up with a jerk, holding the towel around her middle very carefully and surprising everyone in the room. "I ..." She struggled against her brain which seemed at the moment to be completely nonfunctional. In a rapid burst of words she spat out, "I gotta go! I'm supposed to be somewhere else!" She ran out of the room.

Ignoring the cries behind her, Akane quickly pulled her clothing back on, having to struggle a little due to the obvious evidence of the pleasure she had felt. She departed the building at high speed, her one thought to get hold of some hot water as quickly as possible and restore the body she knew. Any concerns about winning the challenge had become wholly inconsequential.

Dashing into her house, Akane flew past Kasumi and her father without a word. She ran into the furoba, and saw a fully clothed and tension-filled Ranma lifting a pail of steaming water over his head. Later she would berate herself that if she had only paused, Ranma would have changed back first and she would have won. At the moment, winning was the farthest thing from her mind, and Akane darted forward so that the hot water landed on the both of them simultaneously.

Of course, outside of combat between high level martial artists, inertia must be obeyed. Unable to halt her forward momentum, Akane slammed into Ranma and both of them landed in the furo with a huge splash. The two scrambled to their knees in the water and stared at each other, clothes plastered to their skin and hair dripping down their faces.

"Er ... run into problems being a guy?" Ranma asked tentatively.

Akane's look of shame for knocking them into the water gave way to an expression of scorn. "You were in here first! Couldn't handle being a girl?"

Ranma looked down. "There are some things where a guy's gotta draw the line."

Akane's face softened. "Huh! I'll go along with that." Her mouth twisted wryly, taking in the smeared makeup on his face, a false eyelash still dangling from one eye. "Draw?" she suggested.

Ranma agreed with a sigh. "Draw."

Akane pointed down, and there was clear amusement in her voice. "We still need to do something about that."

Ranma looked and saw a mass of hair floating on the surface of the water, quickly filling the tub. "Aw, crap! Where's that dragon's whisker?"

Akane laughed. "You left it on top of the mirror in the changing room yesterday, remember? I'll go get it. Why don't you dump some cold water on your head to stop the growth? I'm not anxious to be a boy again either, but we'll only need to stay that way long enough to get your hair put right."

Ranma grunted his assent, and they both climbed out of the furo. By the time Akane returned to the inner room with a pair of scissors and the whisker, Ranma had already changed back to a girl once more. Akane cut his hair to a little longer than would be needed, after which she poured some cold water on herself to become a boy.

"Okay," Akane said once this was done. "Before we go out and ask Kasumi to repair your hair, what are we going to tell her? Why did my, meaning your, hair grow back out?"

"Um, hair tonic?" suggested Ranma.

Akane scowled. "Hair tonic to regrow hair is a scam that doesn't work. Even if it did, it wouldn't work that fast."

"Magic hair tonic from China?" amended Ranma.

"You're kidding, right?" Akane asked bemusedly.

Ranma shrugged. "We gotta tell 'em something. I can say I found it in my pack after Jusenkyo, and guessed it must have accidentally fallen in at the guide's hut. I didn't think about it again until your hair was cut."

Akane threw up her hands. "Sure. Why not? And when your father orders you to hand it over so he can regrow his own hair ...?"

Ranma blinked, as this hadn't occurred to him. "Uh ... it was a small bottle. Almost empty. Only enough for one use."

Akane was shaking her head. "Do you honestly think anyone's going to buy this story?"

Ranma tried to sound confident. "We just gotta sell it. After all, it's obvious the hair grew back _somehow_. As fast as it was, magic had to be involved. Magic hair tonic ought to sound as reasonable as any other form of magic."

"I suppose." She didn't sound very convinced. "I guess we'll have to try. We'd better get out there before they come looking for us. The way I ran in, I'm surprised nobody's come to ask questions yet."

The two teens stepped out into the changing room, where Ranma grabbed a towel and a yukata and returned to the inner room. In the separate but adjoining rooms, they both stripped off their drenched clothing, dried themselves, and donned yukata. Akane went up to the guest room for fresh clothing and, as soon as Ranma was sure she had vacated the changing room, he likewise went up to Akane's bedroom to dress.

Once he was dressed appropriately, Ranma came back downstairs and located Kasumi in the laundry room. The oldest Tendo daughter was very surprised to see the long hair, which was even longer than Akane's had still been, and was especially surprised after confirming for herself that it was indeed Ranma in Akane's form. Ranma put off her request for an explanation, however, saying it would be easier to tell everyone about it just once at dinner. With a resigned sigh, Kasumi led the still bedraggled girl back to the kitchen to repair her hair. Akane was already waiting there, in Ranma's body, to serve as a living model for the final length and appearance the haircut should have.

Afterward they took some hot water with them back upstairs, where each went to the other's bedroom to remove their clothes, re-don the yukata, and splash themselves with hot water. Finally back in their real bodies, they carefully checked that the hall was clear, then passed one another with nods of success, and entered their own bedrooms. With sighs of relief, they put their own clothing back on.

A short time later, they were in Akane's room studying together. After finishing one of the math problems, and without looking up from her book, Akane quietly suggested, "Perhaps we should, uh, take a break from swapping places. For a while."

Ranma didn't try to make eye contact either. "A _long_ while," he agreed, just as quietly.

* * *

When everyone gathered around the table for dinner, at first no one seemed to notice anything unusual. Then Nabiki did a double take and, quite bewildered, asked, "Er, Akane? How did you grow your hair back so fast? Is that ... no, it's definitely not a wig."

The two fathers looked up and stared on hearing this, Soun belatedly remembering that Akane's hair had been much shorter at dinner the previous night. Looking closely, it was quite clear that it was the girl's own hair.

"It's a miracle!" Soun said reverently. "How did it happen, Akane?"

The girl in question gave the boy beside her a _look_, as if to say, "You came up with this story. You tell them."

Ranma cleared his throat. "Ahhh ... well, I guess I should begin with the second night after I was cursed. I found a bottle in my pack with a label that said it was hair tonic. It wasn't mine. Only thing I could think of was that it fell in my pack in the Jusenkyo guide's hut."

He shrugged. "At least, I got no better explanation where it came from. I didn't need no hair tonic, and I just forgot about it. Until Akane's hair was cut short. Then I remembered it and dug it back outa my pack. Seems it worked pretty well. Must've been some kind of magic hair tonic."

"Magic hair tonic?" repeated Nabiki in tones of utter disbelief.

"Yeah, must've been," Ranma reemphasized the notion. "You can see how well it worked."

Genma's face was red and his cheeks were puffed out. It was clear that he was on the verge of an eruption. Ranma leaned away from him and that's when the explosion came. "Ungrateful boy! How could you keep that from me! Wasting it on this girl when her hair would grow back anyway! You go get that hair tonic, and you bring it to me! At once!"

"Sorry pop, no can do. There was only a little in the bottle, and we used it all up."

Genma's face contorted for several seconds. It was obvious he could think of nothing scathing enough to say as he abruptly lunged at his son, arms outstretched with a clear intention to strangle. Ranma evaded the attempt, leaping to his feet. His father jumped up and charged. Soon they were outside in the yard, fighting in greater earnest than they had ever previously demonstrated in their sparring matches.

Nabiki turned toward Akane. Once more she asked, "Magic hair tonic?"

Akane's cheeks grew faintly pink, and she kept her eyes fixed on her dinner. "Yes. Do you know of any way other than magic for my hair to grow back so fast?"

"Quite right," Soun agreed. "What's the problem, Nabiki? Let's just be happy that Ranma had such an extraordinary thing, and shared it with his fiancée. Ah! Obviously he cares about her very much!" Tears were starting to pour from his eyes as he concentrated once more on his own dinner.

Kasumi and Nabiki both gave their younger sister skeptical looks, but pressed no further. Of course, Kasumi knew that it was Ranma's hair which had been regrown, and not Akane's, but the explanation was just as insufficient with the roles reversed. She wondered what the truth was, and why the pair were hiding it.

The sounds of battle continued from out in the yard until long after dinner was cleared away and the dishes washed.

* * *

"Dammit, boy! I don't believe for a minute that you used up the only bit of that hair tonic you had on Akane here! Why the hell won't you hand it over?!"

It was breakfast the next morning, and Genma had not relented since supper the previous night. Ranma had been forced to knock him unconscious in order to get any sleep. The young martial artist was really beginning to wish they had come up with a better story, one that wouldn't have provided his father with any hope of regrowing his own hair.

It being a Saturday, as soon as breakfast was over Ranma and Akane went out to do some more training. He told her they were going out around the town before exercising in the dojo, so she didn't bother changing into a gi. Soon they were out the gate and walking down the street.

"Where are we headed?" Akane asked curiously.

"Nowhere in particular," came the reply. "We're going to run some walls for a little bit, then I'm going to have you walk along a fence. Just like I told you last weekend."

"Okay," was Akane's only response. She noted with satisfaction that there had been no uncertainty present in her voice. She had done enough aerial fighting practice with Ranma that she was certain she would be able to land lightly on her feet if she did fall.

For a while they only ran along walls, as they had been doing all week. By now Akane was able to handle relatively thin ones, about the width of a single brick. Ranma didn't mention it, because he figured she could work it out on her own, but they were doing this before other training in the dojo so that she wouldn't be tired the first time he had her try to walk along a fence.

Finally they came to a stop on the sidewalk beside a fence which circled a junkyard. Rather than chain, between the top bar and posts it consisted of woven strips of green plastic, effectively obscuring any view of what lay on the other side. Ranma thought this would be better to start with than the fence along the canal, which had a long drop along one side. He didn't want Akane to be distracted. Besides, this fence completely circled the junkyard, so they could go around as many times as they wanted without ever having to turn around or jump down.

"You ready to try this?" Ranma asked, although he knew the answer. "I'll be right behind you the whole time. I won't let you fall. Not today, anyway."

Akane looked up at the top of the fence, about eight feet above the ground. There was a plain bar running along the upper edge, about two centimeters wide. Eyes narrowed in concentration, she nodded seriously then bent her knees and jumped. Ranma left the ground an instant later.

She landed atop the fence, one foot in front of the other and arms stretched out to the sides. The fence shook as Ranma joined her and Akane wobbled slightly before regaining her balance. The width was not a problem in and of itself - she was already practicing running along the narrow edge of thin planks of wood Ranma had arranged in the dojo. The real problem was that she wasn't going to reach the other end in half a dozen steps.

They started out slowly. At first there was no trouble, but Ranma watched unsurprised as Akane gradually tensed up. Her balance grew less certain. Eventually there was a lean to one side from which he could tell she couldn't recover, and he quickly reached out and grabbed Akane by the waist, one hand on each side.

As soon as she was steady again, he told her, "You've got to stay relaxed. If you don't stay loose, if you let your muscles tighten up, it's a lot harder to keep your balance. Don't think of it as work, or something to be mastered. Think of it as a game."

Akane nodded to show she understood, then moved forward once more. He was pleased to see that she was more relaxed, but several minutes later signs of stress were showing once more. Ranma bit his tongue rather than remind her. She was going to have to learn to remember on her own, and he debated the merits of letting her fall to drive the point home. It wasn't like there was any real danger to her if she fell.

In the end he decided against it. He had told Akane that he would catch her today, and to do otherwise would be a violation of her trust in him. He'd be damned before he'd teach Akane the lesson his old man had taught him - that no one should be trusted. They'd be doing lots more practice on fences in the coming days. Time enough then to let her fall, once she was a little more confident and mistakes would be less frequent.

Akane suddenly seemed to trip, pitching forward. Ranma's arms encircled her, pulling her back upright, holding her until she once more had her balance. Then he released her.

Akane stood still for a few seconds, breathing deeply to restore her mental balance. Her heart rate had shot up, and she was working hard at convincing herself that it was due to the near tumble rather than the feeling of being held tightly by Ranma, one arm around her waist and the other hand on her shoulder. She licked unaccountably dry lips, then began walking again, striving to put all thoughts out of her head other than the fence in front of her. It was proving to be surprisingly difficult.

They circled the junkyard a couple of times. Akane never once fell off although Ranma was compelled to catch her several more times. Even so, each such slip took longer to occur than the one before. At long last Ranma was sufficiently satisfied with her progress to call a halt to the exercise. They jumped down and ran for home, traveling on the tops of walls for most of the distance.

On arriving home, they headed up to their rooms to change into gis for the morning's training in the dojo. However, Ranma stopped at the door to his room in shock. The contents of his pack were lying scattered on the floor, and his father was pawing through a drawer containing Ranma's t-shirts and boxer shorts. When he saw that he had been caught, Genma had the good grace to look ashamed, or at least to make a convincing pretense of it.

"What the _hell_ are you doing, pop?!" Ranma shouted.

"I would think that would be obvious, boy," Genma grumbled. "I don't trust you when you say you have no more of that hair tonic. Why would you have had _just_ enough to fix Akane's hair?"

Ranma counted slowly to ten. "It's not like there are many places I could hide it! You haven't found anything, have you? Do you believe me now?"

His father was also angry, an anger strengthened by his embarrassment at being caught. "No! I don't believe you! I don't believe you got it from the Jusenkyo guide. Where did you get it? Why won't you tell me that? As for whether you have any left ... I haven't looked everywhere yet. You might have hidden it in Akane's room!"

Akane and Nabiki had both been attracted by the shouting, and were just poking their noses in the door. At this last statement of Genma's, Akane joined the shouting. "If I catch you searching my room ..." She noticed where the older man's hands were still placed. "and _especially_ if I catch you pawing through my underwear, I'll ... I'll ..."

"Use his balls for batting practice?" suggested Nabiki. Genma crouched slightly, wincing. So did Ranma.

Akane paused, wondering how Nabiki could just come out and say something like that. Still, the idea had merit. She pointed to her sister and growled, "You heard her!"

Ranma sighed. Things were escalating too far. Depression clung audibly to his words as he spoke, his words directed at Akane, "I think I'm going to have to tell them the truth." He watched Nabiki's eyes widen, followed by the appearance of a tiny smile of satisfaction on her lips. Akane just mimicked Ranma's sigh.

"Shall we tell them down in the family room?" suggested Akane. "I'll go get father and Kasumi. They should hear it too." At Ranma's weary nod she left the room, trailed a moment later by the others.

When everyone had gathered around the table in the family room, Akane began the story. "To start with, it wasn't my hair that was cut short, it was Ranma's ..."

She was immediately interrupted by several exclamations along the lines of "What?" from Nabiki and the two fathers. With a grimace she went on.

"Would you let me explain? We weren't trying to trick you on purpose!" She took a deep breath. "During the fight with Ryoga, Ranma and I both got hit with water and changed to our cursed forms. That's when Ranma's hair was cut off. We had to let everyone at school continue to think it was mine that was cut short, and it was easier to keep our stories straight if we just let everyone believe that. Then we ... um ... sort of had a ... dare ... as to who could stay in the other gender longer. Except neither of us lasted very long."

Kasumi had her lips pressed together primly, shaking her head. Nabiki was holding in laughter, at some image that had presented itself to her mind's eye. The two fathers were simply staring blankly. Ranma figured his own father must be truly anxious to learn the secret of how his hair was regrown to allow to pass without comment that his son had purposefully spent time as a girl.

Akane concluded with, "Anyway, after that, Ranma let his hair grow back out. I think he'd better explain that part."

Ranma cleared his throat. "Yeah, well, this goes back to a couple of days after I got cursed. Back in China. My pop had sent me up a mountainside to a small village to find some hot water. I was starving. A guy came running by with some food he had stolen. I stopped him and I ... ate it."

"So ...?" Nabiki prompted after a few seconds.

Ranma sighed heavily. "So it was magic. Just like every damn thing in that part of the world seems to be. It doesn't have any effect when I'm in my cursed form, but when I'm male ... well ... I guess it would be best just to show you. Akane, could you help?"

She had been kneeling beside him throughout this explanation. Upon receiving this request, Akane scooted back, and quickly untied the strings at the top and bottom of his ponytail. Within seconds the hair was halfway down his back. In less than a minute it was pooling on the floor. The other people standing around the table were staring in shock. Ranma lifted a pitcher of water from the table and poured some on his head.

"Like I said, it doesn't grow like that when I'm female. The guy who made the stuff I ate said that if I let it continue to grow like that, it would use up all the hair I'd ever have and I'd go bald. Then he gave me a bit of string. He called it a 'dragon's whisker.' Said if I tied it around the bottom of my hair, it would keep it from growing."

"Where was this place?" Genma demanded eagerly, a light of greed in his eyes.

Ranma knew that the porridge could not be made without the dragon's whisker, which was in his possession. He also needed to keep this fact from the old man. A small lie seemed warranted.

"Weren't you listening pop? My hair grows _until_ I go bald. You're _already_ bald. It wouldn't help you."

Genma sat back, deflated. His eyes glistened, and only a monumental effort kept him from openly crying.

Ranma looked around the table, catching everyone's eyes. "Anyway, I'd appreciate it if all of you would keep this secret. We'll tell the hair tonic story at school. I'm afraid that if people know about this, they might decide to play a practical joke like stealing the dragon's whisker from me. They might not believe that I'd really go bald, or worse, they might not care."

He looked at the oldest of the sisters and smiled weakly. "Kasumi, would you mind fixing my hair up again? I need to have the dragon's whisker tied back on before I can change back to a guy."

Kasumi nodded, still speechless, and gestured toward the kitchen. She and Ranma rose to their feet and left the room, followed by Akane. As Nabiki watched them go, her eyebrows rose well into her hairline. It had just occurred to her that Akane had _known_ about this whole story. She was clearly privy to secrets that Ranma had not seen fit to share with anyone else, not even his own father. Despite her little sister's protests over the engagement, this argued a degree of intimacy in their relationship, though not of a physical sort, which went well beyond what Nabiki had believed to be the case.

* * *

Akane and Ranma were walking home from the market where they had been doing some shopping for Kasumi. Ranma was carrying two bags to Akane's one even though they were both currently gender reversed. Other pedestrians kept giving second and third glances as the pair strolled past in their matching, and wet, black slacks and red Chinese shirts, while drops of water fell from their hair.

"Oh come on!" Akane was saying cheerfully. "It wasn't the window washer's fault."

"All I'm saying," Ranma grumbled in turn, "is that he should've known better than to put his bucket in front of a window that swung outward."

"Hey, I got just as wet as you," Akane couldn't help but point out. "You don't see me getting in a bad mood about it. And it wasn't very ladylike of you to jump up on the platform and threaten to kick him between the legs."

"Bleah!" was Ranma's intelligent response, sticking his tongue out and down his chin as if something tasted bad. "I don't wanna act _ladylike_."

A minute later he mused, "I wonder when Ryoga's gonna find his way back?"

Akane turned her head sideways and peered at him curiously. "You think he'll be back then?" At Ranma's raised eyebrows she sighed in agreement. "I guess you're right. I wish he'd at least tell you why he's so insistent on revenge."

Ranma shrugged. "All we can do is wait 'til next time and try to ask ... aw, crap!"

Akane's eyes snapped up to where Ranma was gazing, to find herself looking down the length of a bokken pointed straight at her. "Ranma Saotome. The time has come for the wrath of heaven to strike at thee through me, that the fair maiden who stands at your side may be freed from your dark spell."

Akane saw Ranma, in her body, clench his fists despite the bags he held. She reached over and placed a hand on his arm. Ranma turned to look at her.

He saw his own face looking back, the expression serious. There was something glittering at the backs of Akane's eyes. "It's my turn, this time. It's my fight. I haven't fought the bastard since that time after school when I was still recovering, when you had to save me. I want you to stand back and let me do this."

Ranma hesitated, several thoughts flying through his head at once. His first urge, almost overwhelming, was to protect Akane. To order her to back away and to take Kuno himself. However, there was an expression on her face that he couldn't ignore. Perhaps it was the fact that she was currently wearing his own features that allowed him to recognize her need, a need to wash away the memory of that previous encounter with Kuno, in which she had only been spared defeat by his intervention. Biting his lower lip, Ranma gave her a nod, took her bag, and stepped backward.

For whatever reasons of his own, Kuno had remained still during this byplay. Akane turned back to face him, raising her fists. The bokken lifted slightly, then Kuno cried "Strike!" and thrust forward.

Akane dodged to the side, allowing both the bokken and its accompanying blast of air to miss her. She tried to strike his arm from the side, but he had already recovered and the arm was no longer there. The blade swung across horizontally in an attempt to cleave her in half, but Akane leaped into the air and it passed underneath her harmlessly. At the apex of her leap she lashed out with a foot and kicked Kuno in the face, causing him to stagger backward.

Akane jumped into the air again as soon as her feet touched the sidewalk. Her opponent snapped his head back forward as the stars cleared and charged, only to stop in surprise that the 'foul sorcerer' was no longer before him. Akane landed on the pavement behind him, where she grabbed Kuno by the shoulder and spun him around. At the end of the spin his chin met an uppercut fueled by all of her thirst for vengeance which had been building ever since his attack which had left her in a coma.

The bin filled with watermelons in front of a small grocer's did not survive the impact of his landing. Ranma stepped closer to examine Kuno, who now lay on his back with arms flung wide, unmoving, among the smashed fruit. A quick check showed that he was unconscious but not seriously harmed.

"I reckon he can afford to pay for the damage, once he wakes up," Ranma suggested when he rejoined Akane.

She smiled and gave a satisfied flick of her ponytail, while slapping her right fist into her left palm a couple of times. Akane gave one last look at the boy she had just defeated, lying there covered in juice and pieces of melon. "I always thought Kuno was a fruit. Come on, let's go home."

* * *

**Author's note:**

I've created a LiveJournal account for myself. If you're interested, hop over to my profile page and follow the link there, or type mzephyr (dot) livejournal (dot) com into your browser. (I won't try to add a link in the author's note here since FFnet would no doubt mangle it.)


	4. The Adoption of Pchan

**Side by Side  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Sequel to _Togetherness_. Alternate universe story in which Ranma and Akane are cursed to change into duplicates of one another.

* * *

**Chapter 4. The Adoption of P-chan**

It had taken him three days, but Ryoga looked at the sign on the wall with a smile of triumph. An umbrella kept the pouring rain off of his head as the glow of a streetlight allowed him to read the words "Tendo dojo." He gave a grim smile and whispered, "You can't hide from me now," then jumped over the wall.

He slipped into the house taking extreme care to make no noise, quietly tiptoeing up the stairs and down a hallway, seeking a room which might contain his archenemy. Three doors in succession had nameplates of "Kasumi," "Nabiki" and "Akane" before he reached the end of the hall. Turning around he went the other way, coming to a door without a nameplate. Easing it open, the light from a window revealed ... Ranma ... and a panda bear?

Ignoring the bear as a distraction, and just too bizarre to contemplate, Ryoga advanced on Ranma's sleeping form. Whispering hoarsely, he demanded, "Ranma! Wake up! It's me, Ryoga. Come on and fight me!" The light snores of the sleeping boy continued unbroken.

Well, if he wouldn't fight back ... Ryoga punched down, aiming straight for the head. Ranma rolled to his side at the last moment, resulting in the death of his pillow as Ryoga's fist punched through it. Becoming frustrated, Ryoga shouted, "Wake up, dammit!"

The panda bear woke at the shout. This was of course Ranma's father, Genma, who was of the opinion that his sleep should never be disturbed for anything less than an earthquake. Or free food. Unwilling to make the effort to distinguish between attacker and attackee, he simply picked up both boys and hurled them through the window. Ryoga got his umbrella up an instant before the rain struck, but Ranma had no such protection and in any event he splashed down in the koi pond. He rose female from the water, spluttering like some defective mermaid fountain.

"What the _hell_? Ryoga?! It's the _freaking_ middle of the night! What do you want?!"

The panda bear was not the only resident of the Tendo house whose sleep was disturbed by Ryoga's shout, and now Ranma's yelling gave them further warning that something was going on. Kasumi and Akane emerged from their respective rooms, although only Akane had taken the time to arm herself, holding her trusty shinai. They began to search the house for a possible intruder.

Outside, in answer to Ranma's question, Ryoga hissed, "Revenge! That's what I want! You've made my life a living hell! You ..." He broke off as he got a better look at the person in front of him. "Ranma?" he asked, disbelieving, as the dim light and shadows resolved to show the figure of a female standing in front of him.

Ranma looked down at his curves in resignation. "Yeah, it's me. I fell into this damned cursed pool at Jusenkyo. Now, whenever I get wet ... this happens." He swept an arm down in front of his body. "So, isn't this revenge enough for you? Whatever you think I did, what more do you think you could do to me than this curse?"

Ryoga gave a bitter laugh. "You call _that_ a curse? You still look human. When you ran out on our duel, I followed you, all the way to Jusenkyo ..."

"Yeah, I know," interrupted Ranma wearily. "I remember. Don't you? We fell off the cliff together. When I ran into you."

"What are you talking about?" Ryoga snarled. "That was some girl."

Ranma tilted his head. "Uh, yeah?" He looked down at his body meaningfully.

Ryoga blinked a couple of times before he got it. "You mean ... that really _was_ you? When she told me her name was Ranma ... I thought I musta been hearing things." His face twisted. "That means you _are_ the one who's responsible!"

"Responsible? Responsible for what?" Ranma shouted back. "I'm the one who _kept_ us from falling in that damn spring! If it weren't for me, we'd of both dropped right in it and gotten some curse. I saved your ass."

"Saved me?!" snarled Ryoga.

"Yeah," replied Ranma more quietly, growing puzzled at the other boy's intense anger over the incident. "You've got to remember. Right? We landed on opposite sides of the pool. Then I warned you that the pools were cursed and ran off. I had a panda to catch and skin." He paused, taking in the other boy's enraged features, noting the umbrella keeping the rain off despite the fact he was trying to start a fight, finally adding things up.

Ranma put a hand up and lowered his face into it. "Ryoga?" he began weakly. "Don't tell me you went and fell into one of the pools _after_ I warned you? I swear, I've met rocks that are smarter than you!"

"Shut up Ranma! The time for words is past!" Ryoga launched a flying kick which Ranma dodged, still trying to come to grips with the other boy's reason for wanting revenge.

Kasumi and Akane were just finishing the task of checking the inside of the house when they heard shouting and came to the realization that whatever it was, it was happening outside. They moved toward the door off the family room.

Ranma circled Ryoga slowly, wondering why he had to be awake for a fight in the middle of the night just because some idiot couldn't pay attention to a simple warning. "Come on, man! Why are you blaming me? I _warned_ you that the springs were cursed! If you just _gotta_ fight me, at least you could wait 'til the sun's up."

Ryoga's voice was choked with fury. "Do you have any idea what it's been like?! Turning into a little, helpless ... Nobody could defeat me before you showed up! Now anyone can! All they need is cold water."

Ranma grimaced, understanding well enough. He worried that he might someday find himself in his female form facing an opponent that he could only defeat with the strength of his male body. It was only too easy to picture how much worse it might be for Ryoga.

"Hey man, that's rough." Ranma tried to project compassion, both because he felt it and also because he longed to get back to his bed. "I sympathize. Believe me I do. And I'll do what I can to help. For instance, I promise I won't tell anyone about your curse. But damn it, it ain't my fault! Can't we at least sleep on it, and argue about it in the morning?"

"Here's my argument!" Ryoga attacked again. Ranma blocked the blow, then settled into defending himself while trying to figure out how to put an end to this nonsense.

When Kasumi and Akane opened the outside door, they saw a figure leap through the air with a large pack on his back. Both girls assumed it was a burglar as they had first imagined. Akane prepared to run outside and drive him off with her shinai, but Kasumi's hand restrained her. The older sister handed Akane a dumbbell, causing the younger sister to stare as she had not noticed Kasumi pick it up during their search. Akane shrugged her shoulders, weighed it in her hand for a moment, took careful aim, and clobbered the burglar in the back of the head with a well placed throw.

The umbrella was dropped. Ranma had just enough time to see a look of terror appear on Ryoga's face, before the boy leaped over the wall. Jumping on top of the wall himself, Ranma shouted "Ryoga!" even as his eyes took in the shirt and pants floating down to rest upon the backpack lying in the alley.

His leap atop the wall had taken Ranma into the light where the sisters could see him, and both heard him shout Ryoga's name. "Oh, it's only the boy who wanted to have a duel," Kasumi commented. "When Ranma-kun comes in, please point out to him that it's not very considerate to schedule fights at two in the morning." She covered a yawn with her hand, then turned around to return to her bed.

Akane had turned to stare blankly after Kasumi as she left. Turning back around, she called out, "Ranma?"

Ranma had been just about to jump down into the alley. Catching himself with a near stumble, he turned back around. "Akane? Is that you?"

Akane chose not to step out into the pouring rain. Speaking loudly enough to be heard, she said, "Yeah. Why were you and Ryoga fighting at this time of night? We have school in the morning you know."

Ranma shrugged, a gesture which was lost in the dark and rain. "Wasn't my idea. He showed up in my room and started the fight." Remembering that he wasn't going to tell anyone else about Ryoga's curse, he added, "He seems to have run off now. Probably lost. I'll be in shortly."

"Okay." Akane stifled a yawn of her own. "I'm heading back to bed. Good night."

"Night." He watched Akane disappear into the house, then jumped down into the alley. Retrieving the pack and clothes, Ranma jumped back over the wall, then left Ryoga's stuff out on the engawa. Sleepily he turned toward the stairs to climb back into his own bed, but then turned around and headed toward the furoba instead. He wanted to warm up a little after standing out in the cold rain and getting drenched in the freezing pond.

When Akane entered her own bedroom she paused uncertainly, sensing that something was amiss. She wasn't quite sure what triggered the sensation, some shadow that was out of place maybe, or some sound which registered below the level of consciousness. Ranma and their fathers had trained her well and she raised her arms warily, wondering if perhaps one of them was about to spring out at her, even though she could see the entire room and there hardly appeared to be anyplace for a person to hide.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

There was a sudden blur of motion and Akane reacted almost instinctively, her fist shooting out in a hard punch which connected solidly. Whatever she had hit gave off a squeal, flying back through the air to bounce off the wall and land on the floor in a daze. Akane looked down to see a small black piglet lying on her rug, wearing a handkerchief around its neck, its eyes unfocused.

"Oh dear!" Akane exclaimed. "Oh, you poor thing. I'm so sorry I hit you, but you startled me." She scooped up the limp creature and held it against her chest, examining it to see if it had taken any harm. She bit her lip softly at the sight of a large bump on the back of its head, the skin broken and leaking a small amount of blood. She resolutely turned toward her door to go get the first aid kit.

Down in the bathing room Ranma had started the furo filling with steaming water, then stepped back out to the changing room to pull off his wet clothes. Just as he grabbed the hem of his t-shirt, Akane walked in wearing her pajamas and carrying a small black pig.

"Akane?" Ranma sounded very puzzled. "What's with the pig?"

Akane sighed at beholding the sight, yet again, of Ranma in her body wearing a wet t-shirt. It was getting to the point where she could hardly muster the energy to get upset about it anymore. "Ranma. Haven't I asked you not to walk around like that?"

Her twin responded intelligently, "Huh?" He looked down. "Oh. Heh. Sorry. But it's not like there's anybody else up right now. Just you and me. Anyway - the pig?"

Akane sighed again, but had to admit he was right. "I found this little guy in my room. He's drenched from the rain, and has a big bump on the back of his head. I came down to get some medicine to put on it." She laid a towel on the floor and put the piglet down on it, then went over to a cabinet where she pulled out a box containing first aid supplies.

Ryoga's senses were starting to return to him. He looked around blearily, quickly deducing from the cathedral-like height of the ceiling that he was in pig form. There were two girls in the room with him. He blinked then stared again. They still looked alike. Twins apparently. He spun his head around in a spray of blood as one of the girls yanked off her wet t-shirt.

"Honestly!" Akane complained. "Can't you wait until I've left the room?"

"Oh, for God's sake, lighten up!" Ranma responded, half amused and half disgusted. "It's not like you can claim to've never seen this body before."

Akane snorted, but said nothing else as she picked up the little pig and cradled him to her chest. As she gingerly applied the medicine to its head, Ryoga sighed in bliss and cuddled into the soft curves against which he found himself pressed.

Ranma grimaced at the sight. "Hentai pig," he muttered. "I bet it's a boy."

"Huh?" Akane queried. "Why do you say that?" She lifted one of its legs for a peek. "Hey, how about that! You're right!" Ryoga buried his face against her chest, wanting to die of embarrassment.

Ranma slipped into the other room while Akane finished applying the medicine and put on a band-aid. She used the towel she had first put the pig down on to dry him off some more, then held him cradled tight in her arms trying to warm him up. She looked down with worry as the piglet gave a huge sneeze. At that point the door slid open and Ranma stepped back into the changing room as a male.

"Hey, Akane," Ranma called out, suppressed laughter echoing in his voice. "If you were upset with me a moment ago, then don't you think you'd better be leaving the room before I take this towel off? What're you hanging around for?"

"Oh, you!" Akane bit off angrily. She looked down at the pig in her arms again and her eyes softened, teeth nibbling at her lower lip. Looking up again, and in an entirely different tone of voice, she said, "I'm worried that he might catch a cold. Could you take him back in and warm him up?"

Ryoga had turned his head back around at the sound of the boy's voice to see the current bane of his life, Ranma Saotome. He didn't know where the other girl had gone, that didn't matter. He began struggling to get out of the grip holding him, wanting to bite Ranma at the very least.

Ranma stared at the animal which was writhing in Akane's arms and seemed to be glaring at him. "Why me? Why don't you do it?"

Akane pressed her lips together. "Because you're already, ah, _dressed_ for it. Oh, come on! Please?"

The boy looked her in the eyes for a minute before his lips twisted. "Oh, all right! I'll do it. Here, hand it over."

He took the pig carefully from Akane's outstretched hands, scowling as it redoubled its struggles. Akane told him, "I'll be waiting out in the family room, so you can get dressed when you're done." She stepped out into the hall as Ranma stepped once more into the inner room.

"The things I do for that girl," Ranma muttered. He was getting ready to dip the pig in the hot water of the furo when it turned its head and bit him. Giving a yelp, Ranma released his hold and the piglet fell in. He jumped forward to grab it before it drowned, only to rear back in shock as a very naked Ryoga shot up out of the water.

"R-R-Ryoga? You ... you're a ... pig?"

The boy before him growled, deep and murderously. "Ranmaaa ... you are _dead_!" His fist shot out, only to smash through the bottom of a pail Ranma hurriedly interposed in self defense.

"Dammit! What is _with_ you!" Ranma shouted in a low voice. "I'm sorry you got cursed - as a pig of all things - but it ain't _my_ fault!"

"_You_ ran out on our duel!" Ryoga shouted back, pointing a finger at the other boy, a finger which trembled with rage.

Ranma proclaimed in exasperation, "I waited _three days_! How long did you expect me to wait? _I_ didn't make you follow me to China! I _saved_ you from falling in that damned pool! I _warned_ you what the pools did! _You're_ the jackass who went and fell in one anyway!"

"Shut up and die!" Ryoga hissed, jumping out of the pool. He lunged at Ranma, who blocked the blow then spun around and caught Ryoga in the back with a kick. Ryoga flew into the shower, where he smacked face first into the back wall. Ranma quickly reached over and spun the faucet handle, dousing the other boy in cold water. He also splashed himself thoroughly.

"Damn," Ranma grunted as he looked down at his nude female body, the towel lying around his feet. The pig was lying on the floor of the shower, lightly dazed, and he knew that he'd better not give another boy a free peek at this body or Akane might really rip into him. He took a fast dip in the furo and came back out male just as the pig climbed back to its feet.

"Okay, Ryoga, cool down," Ranma said to the pig. "Let's try to talk about this sensibly. Huh?"

Ryoga, shivering from the cold water, heard the remark "cool down" as a taunt. He immediately leapt upon Ranma and sunk his teeth into the boy's arm.

"Son of a ...!" Ranma's other arm came across and smacked into the pig, sending him flying across the room. Ranma gave chase, and Ryoga scampered into the changing room on four hooves. Ranma slid the door shut behind himself on entering the same room. Seeing that Ryoga was trapped in the room, he took a moment to pull on some boxers.

Ryoga had backed up against one of the walls, baring his teeth at the boy in front of him. Ranma looked his way, gave an unconvincing smile, and crooked a finger in his direction. "Here, piggy, piggy, piggy. Nice piggy."

Ryoga snarled, angry at being called in such a way and jumped at Ranma once more, teeth snapping. Ranma, not wishing to be bitten again, grabbed him and slammed him into the floor. Akane chose that moment to walk through the door, without even bothering to knock.

"Ranma, _what_ is going ... Oh! The poor piggy! What are you _doing_?" She ran over and shoved Ranma away, picking up the pig and cradling him in her arms once more. "You poor thing!" She shot Ranma a glare. "How could you treat him like that?!"

"Hey!" Ranma protested. "He _bit_ me!"

"Oh sure," Akane answered dismissively. "And what were you doing to him?" She turned to address the pig once more. "Come on little guy. Let's go." She headed for the door.

"Uh ... where are you taking him?" Ranma inquired.

Akane gave him one last look. "To bed, of course." She smiled down at the pig, lifting him up to her face. "He's such a cute little thing!" Akane kissed him right on the snout, causing Ryoga to nearly faint dead away in ecstasy. She walked out the door.

"Bu-bu-but ..." It was too late. Akane was already gone. Ranma considered for a moment chasing down the hall after her, but if he did what was he going to say? That the pig was really Ryoga? Unbidden a memory arose, just a short time ago, of Ranma promising the other boy that he wouldn't tell anyone about the curse. Would he break that promise so soon after making it?

But if he didn't tell Akane, then she was going to let Ryoga sleep in her bed with her. He couldn't let that happen either, could he? Back and forth these thoughts went through his head, as he tried to decide what to do. He slowly pulled on clothes, then sat on a bench with his head in his hands, trying to decide how to handle this situation.

He wanted to tell Akane the truth, but he didn't want to break a promise. He didn't want Ryoga sleeping in Akane's bed, but he couldn't just come out and tell Akane why. He could sneak into her room after she fell asleep and try to talk Ryoga into leaving, but what if he wouldn't? Finally his head shot up and a nasty grin curved his lips. He collected some hot water and took it with him. There was no way Ryoga could try to stay in her room as a naked boy, was there?

But it was vital that Akane be asleep. Ranma didn't want her to press for explanations which he wasn't prepared to give, so he crept over the roof and lowered himself in front of her window. It bothered him a little to be spying into her room like this, but he shoved the thought aside. Peering carefully into the darkness, it did appear that Akane had fallen asleep.

The young woman in the bed was in fact asleep, although her dreams were troubled. She found herself trapped in a small room with no means of escape, and that boy Ryoga Hibiki was pressing himself up against her. She tried to squirm away, but he wouldn't let go, and the way he was looking at her ... Akane was starting to become frightened of the intensity in his eyes. From somewhere outside of the room she could hear Ranma's voice, saying, "I'll stop you Ryoga. I won't let you take advantage of her." Akane found herself hoping that he would hurry.

Ranma slowly slid open the window and slipped into the bedroom. He saw the pig sit up alertly, its beady eyes tracking his movements. A slow growl started to come from its throat.

Ranma held up the kettle of water, allowing the pig to take in the sight of it. Ranma whispered, "Okay now. I'm sure you don't want me to pour this on you right here. So just get out of that bed carefully and let's go."

Ryoga didn't know what to think about the girl who had taken care of him, cuddled him, and carried him up to her bed. He was enchanted by her kind nature, and overwhelmed by her willingness to shower him with her affection. At the same time he realized that these feelings were being bestowed upon a pig, not upon himself. But one thing he did know, her treatment of him was pissing off Ranma, and that was a very positive thing in his book.

On the other hand, he had no illusions about what would happen if he suddenly changed into an unclothed boy lying beside this girl. He slowly rose to his four legs, emitting a soft growl, as he pondered the best way to deal with the threat. When Ranma reached down to pick him up, Ryoga bit down hard on the boy's thumb.

"Mmmf!" Ranma managed to suppress a shriek. He threw Ryoga across the room to bounce off a wall, except that the pig turned it into a jump off of the wall. He landed at Ranma's feet, and shot up into the air between the boy and the bed. Ranma tried to grab him, missed, and then Ryoga landed right on his shoulders.

Ranma teetered, overbalanced, saw what was about to happen but had nothing to grab onto. He closed his eyes in resignation as he fell full length along Akane's body, his nose buried into the pillow right beside her ear. To his complete lack of surprise, her steady breathing stopped, replaced a moment later by a snort and then a puzzled questioning sound.

The boy quickly lifted himself, pushing up from the mattress, trying to get off the bed as quickly as he could. He watched her eyes track him as he rose, realizing it was far too late to prevent the knowledge that he had been lying atop her. He cast about in his head for something to say, some word to reclaim this moment from the abyss into which it was falling, but his mind was completely blank.

Akane, muzzily coming out of her sleep, saw that Ranma had been lying upon her, in the dark, in her room. Worse, she was coming out of a dream in which a boy had been, if not molesting her, at least pressing unwanted attention upon her. Her fogged mind could hold only one conclusion, and her arm swung across at high speed to slap Ranma across the face, sending him staggering.

There was no way that she, Akane Tendo, was going to let any boy assault her in her own bedroom! She grabbed her shinai where it was leaning against the wall, and promptly began beating him across the head and shoulders. "Get out! Get out! Get out!"

"Ow! Let me ... ow! Dammit! Lemme explain!"

"There's nothing to explain you pervert!" She kicked him for good measure.

Someone banged several times on the other side of the bedroom wall.

Ranma clutched his shin in pain. "Ryoga ..."

"... is not here!" Akane finished for him, hissing. "_You_ were the one grabbing at me!" With a mighty swing of the shinai, she sent Ranma hurtling through the window. Unfortunately, he went through the glass of the closed half, rather than the open half, taking a company of shards through the air with him.

Pieces of glass cut small slices into his skin. The pouring rain instantly transformed him into a girl once more. He smashed into the trunk of a tree, bounced off, and slammed flat on his back on the hard ground, breath exploding from his lungs at the impact.

Up in her bedroom, Akane worked on getting her breathing back under control, slowing her heartbeat. She looked down at her new pet, which looked up at her with shining eyes. Akane looked at the window again, trying to wrap her mind around what had happened, certain that she was missing something.

Why ... how ... could Ranma attempt to _do_ something like that to her? Unbidden, the thought came to her that he couldn't, wouldn't. She had come to know him too well. This just wasn't something that he would do. But then ... what was he doing? What other explanation was there?

Tentatively Akane stepped over to the window, careful not to put her foot down on any broken glass. Peering out, she saw Ranma stiffly lifting himself off of the ground, looking like her double. A somewhat bedraggled double, just at the moment.

The girl at the window called down, "What _were_ you doing in my room?"

Inside, Ranma was seething. Okay, he knew it looked bad, and maybe he deserved something for his clumsy handling of the mess. But to find himself out in the cold rain _again_, female again, covered with bruises and cuts, was just too much for him at the moment.

"What does it matter?" he called back up to her bitterly. "You ain't gonna listen to me."

Akane took a deep breath. She continued, trying for a reasonable tone of voice. "Look, I'm sorry I lost my temper so fast. Okay? Try to see it from my point of view. What were you up to?"

Ranma was in no mood to be reasonable, and he realized he had no explanation he could give without breaking his promise. Not that Ryoga really deserved him to honor his promise after everything the little ... creep had done tonight, but as far as he was concerned at the moment, Akane could just keep him with her if that's what she wanted.

A sarcastic voice came from the next window down, "You two ought to plan your midnight trysts before bedtime. Could you wait and finish your lover's spat in the morning?" Nabiki might care more about her little sister than she had a few months ago, but that didn't excuse waking her in the middle of the night.

"Go back to bed, Nabiki," Ranma growled. "That's what I'm doing." He stomped away around the corner of the house.

Akane pursed her lips, irritated, but there was clearly no reasoning with him tonight. Picking up the little pig, she climbed back into her bed and fell asleep once more.

* * *

Ranma was so upset that he didn't sleep at all the rest of that night, what little was left of it. He took great pleasure in being the one to initiate the early morning sparring session with his father, sending his old man on a quick trip out the window and into the koi pond. He was seated at the breakfast table, already inhaling his meal, when Akane sleepily trudged down the steps and into the room. Everyone else exclaimed in startlement over the little black pig she was carrying, listening with interest as she explained about finding it. Ranma merely scowled.

When the explanation drew to a close, Nabiki looked across the table and said, "By the way, lover boy, would you like some tips on how to sneak into a girl's bedroom at night? Part of the trick is not to wake up the rest of the family."

Akane and Ranma both frowned deeply. Kasumi sighed through flattened lips. She had been planning to speak to the two youngest members of the household privately about this, later. "It was quite inappropriate of them to be doing anything of the sort, Nabiki."

Akane defended herself crossly. "Hey! I didn't ask him to show up in my room! It was all his idea!"

Ranma, not wanting to talk about last night at all, just buried his face in his hands. He then bent over and lay face and hands both on the table. He figured that if he tried to say anything, that somehow it was going to get twisted and it would end up sounding even worse.

Soun had slept through the ruckus last night, and knew no more of what had happened than what his daughters were hinting. "Now, now. Boys will be boys. So long as Akane made him leave, no harm done."

Akane turned to glare at her father, scarcely crediting the lack of effort he was willing to put into defending her honor. Even if she _was_ pretty sure her honor hadn't been at risk. She turned back to angrily shoving rice into her mouth, and attempting to feed an occasional tidbit to her new pet.

Genma had not bothered to change back after the sparring session, and so was sitting at the table as a panda. He completely ignored the conversation in favor of stuffing his face with as much food as possible.

After arriving at school, Ranma and Akane were surrounded by a large crowd of students, mostly girls, as soon as her hair was seen. They were obliged once more to tell the story about the magical hair tonic which Ranma had brought back from China. Both teenagers winced at the skeptical looks, but kept insisting that it was the truth. Although deeply suspicious regarding the existence of this oh too convenient magical item which Ranma just _happened_ to have in his possession, the other girls were nonetheless unable to explain the miraculous hair growth any other way. In the end they offered their congratulations to Akane on the recovery of her hair, howsoever it had happened.

Leaving the school that afternoon, Akane spotted Tatewaki Kuno a short distance from the gate. He appeared to be examining something in his hands. Ranma was inclined to simply continue on their way, thus giving the proud Kuno the ultimate insult of ignoring him as a threat. Akane, however, stopped not far from him and inquired caustically, "What are you doing here, Kuno? You're supposed to stay away from Furinkan."

The boy turned and gave a sunny smile on seeing who had addressed him. "Ah, my fierce tigress! I came nigh upon these hallowed halls on a small matter of business and, in truth, have not set foot on the school grounds themselves. However, my day is made more perfectly complete through the fortunes of fate which have allowed me the pleasure to encounter you. If ..."

"Whatcha got there, Kuno?" Ranma interrupted. Not that he was really interested in the answer, but he wanted to cut short what appeared likely to be a tedious speech.

"That is a private matter, you scurrilous knave," Tatewaki responded, lifting his nose high in the air.

"Oh? Lemme see!" He jumped in the air, did a flip, and landed on Kuno's head.

"Away, you rogue!" Kuno's bokken appeared in his hand and flashed through the air above his head. Ranma nimbly leaped over it and landed beside Akane once more, but he was now frowning. He'd gotten a glimpse of photographs, and he thought he might have seen Akane on one of them.

Ranma's voice was no longer bored. It was brusque, even peremptory as he demanded, "Who's been selling you photos of Akane?" Beside him, Akane sucked in air, feeling as though she'd been punched in the gut.

"That is none of your business," came the lofty answer. The boy brandished his bokken, ignoring the danger signals from the other martial artist. "I am in a mellow mood at this time, but beware lest you tempt my rage."

Ranma's eyes narrowed dangerously. He darted in, then danced out of range again, dodging the strikes from the other boy's blade with ease. Without being obvious about it, he maneuvered Kuno into facing the opposite direction down the street. The younger boy then stepped back innocently, eyes wide, hands behind his back. Kuno stared at him suspiciously, expecting some trick and ready for whatever Ranma might try.

While still waiting for Ranma to make his move, Kuno suddenly stiffened, eyes widening in surprise, then toppled like a felled tree. Akane looked down at him furiously, slowly relaxing the fist with which she had clipped Kuno behind the ear. She gave a long, irritated exhalation of breath, then crouched and started picking up the rectangles he had dropped.

"Nice punch, Akane," Ranma commented, smiling.

She flashed a quick smile of her own in his direction. "Thanks." She turned her attention back to the images in her hands and frowned, sighing.

"More photos of you, right?" Ranma asked seriously.

Akane looked up at him and her mouth twisted. "Sort of. My appearance, anyway. But they're pictures of me downtown with Yuka and Sayuri. One of them shows me with a fair bit of make up on my face. I think they're really you, from that little shopping expedition you went on."

Ranma paled. He stepped over quickly and examined the pictures over her shoulder as she held them up for him. His stomach sank. "Ewww! Damn! I think I'm gonna be sick. The idea of Kuno ... ewww!"

Akane muttered, "I know what you mean." She stuffed the photographs in her schoolbag to throw in the trash at the first opportunity. "I'd really like to find out who's been selling these to him. I think I'd make him eat them!" The pair turned and walked off down the street, where they soon jumped atop a fence and started running.

A slight figure stepped out from behind a parked van, looked down at the prone figure of Kuno, and shivered.

* * *

When they got home Ranma was perturbed to see that Ryoga was still hanging around the house in pig form. He had hoped the other boy would have gotten lost sometime during the day and disappeared. He nearly gagged to see Akane cuddling and cooing over him, but did his best to ignore it as he called Akane to get ready for their afternoon training session.

His tension mounted through the evening meal as Akane again held the pig in her lap and fed him morsels from her own dinner. Kasumi eyed him worriedly as she noticed that he wasn't eating as much as usual, but decided to let him work whatever it was out on his own unless she saw something worse than a bit of stress and reduced appetite. After the meal, Akane and Ranma each went to their own rooms to labor over homework.

Or rather Akane did so. Ranma was unable to focus on the paper in front of him. Ryoga was in Akane's room with her, and he just knew the pig was planning to sleep in there again tonight. Ranma had no wish to make another attempt which would get him labeled "pervert" again, but the idea of just letting Ryoga get away with this was eating away at him. Akane was his friend, and that jerk was taking advantage of her! But how could he stop it without going into her room, and without coming right out and telling her?

The more he thought it over, the more determined he became to put a stop to this immediately. He would not break his promise and "tell" her about the curse. On the other hand, perhaps he could twist his way around the edges of that promise? Although his father might not know the definition of the word "honor," Ranma did, but his upbringing had nonetheless taught him a degree of elasticity where that concept was concerned.

In the end he decided to write a note explaining it all. This made him squirm just a little, but he reckoned that he had only promised not to "tell," which left him free to "write" it down. Once he had penned the brief note explaining the nature of Ryoga's curse, how he had discovered it, and what he had _really_ gone into in her room to do last night, Ranma folded the paper and sealed it in an envelope. With a glint of determination in his eye, he picked up the envelope and headed down the hall.

Akane looked up with irritation at the knock on her door. These math problems were giving her a lot of trouble and she wasn't too happy about being interrupted. Her expression softened a little as she caught sight of the piglet sleeping on the blanket at the foot of her bed. Looking toward the door she called out, "Yes? Come in."

The door opened to show Ranma standing there, looking unaccountably nervous. "Hey Akane. Can I, uh, bother you for a minute?"

Akane put her pencil down, hoping this wouldn't take long. "Yeah, sure. What is it?"

Ranma's eyes flicked over to the sleeping pig, then returned to her face. "I, um, have something for you. Something you need to read. It's kinda important. So, um, here." He held out the envelope.

Akane took it from him, turning it over to see that there was no writing on the outside. Puzzled, she asked, "Should I read it now?"

Ranma pictured this and suffered a minor attack of cowardice. "Uh, no. You can read it, uh, after I go. Um ... see ya." He quickly backed out of the room and shut the door behind him.

Akane stared after him. "Okay, that was a bit weird." She turned back around toward her desk, looking down at the envelope, but her eye also caught sight of the math problem she was in the middle of solving. She remembered the step she was at and what needed to be done next, and wanted to get it over with. Thinking she could read the note later, she opened a desk drawer and stuffed it inside, then went back to her homework. There were a lot more problems to do, and the amount of concentration she needed to finish the assignment was exhausting.

By the time Akane wearily climbed into bed she had completely forgotten the envelope in the drawer.

After returning to his room, Ranma dithered in nervous agitation, wondering why he wasn't hearing an explosion. As time crawled by, he became more restless and worried. Finally, when the hour had grown late, he decided to check up on Akane. He slipped out the window and made his way across the roof.

Lowering himself over the edge of the roof outside her bedroom, the boy was surprised to see that Akane's room was dark. He allowed his eyes to slowly adjust, picking out features by the dim illumination coming in through her window. As her sleeping form resolved itself to his sight, Ranma's eyes widened in shock to see Akane's arm curled around the pig, holding it tight against her side. He forgot himself so far as to lose his grip, slamming into the ground below.

‹But ... but ... why ... why would she still let him sleep with her? Even if he isn't human right now. That ... that's not right! How could she?!› His mind was spinning, trying to come to grips with what he had seen. He felt a pain down in his gut that he couldn't identify, together with a spark of anger that she would accept his rival's presence as a pet.

Ranma made his way back into the house where he literally threw himself down onto his futon. He kept trying to banish the image from his mind, unsuccessfully. It was a long time before sleep came that night, and when it did it brought unpleasant dreams with it.

* * *

In the hour before dawn a young Chinese woman with purple hair left the freighter whose captain she had terrorized into giving her passage. She stepped ashore in a strange land on which she had never before laid eyes, carrying a small pack with a few changes of clothing and other necessities. In her hands were the two chui with which she planned to kill the girl she pursued, Ranma Saotome.

Shampoo looked around herself in the dim gray predawn light. During her pursuit of Ranma across China she had seen first towns, then cities, the likes of which she could scarcely have imagined before. Now she was in yet another city, but this one was in a foreign land and she craned her head from side to side as she made her way down the streets. She could already see many differences from Shanghai, the city in China in which she had last seen Ranma. As she overheard the soft speech of the few pedestrians who were abroad at this hour, Shampoo started worrying at her lower lip with her teeth. She had studied the Japanese language, a little, but she was far from proficient. The degree to which that was true rapidly became clear to her as she struggled to understand the conversations around her.

The girl waged an internal battle not to give in to despair. Her quarry had been abroad in this island nation for an entire month, and Shampoo could only hope that the Japanese girl had not taken ship for some other place. Trying to find Ranma in this land where she barely knew the language, customs or geography seemed hopeless at the moment. She clung desperately to the few clues she had, the name Ranma Saotome, that she practiced a school of martial arts called "Anything Goes," that she traveled with a pet panda bear. At least the last item in that list was uncommon, and might make the girl stand out in people's memories.

For the thousandth time Shampoo cursed herself for giving in to pride and condemning Ranma with the Kiss of Death. It hadn't been necessary. It was an old custom, rarely used in modern times, but on that day lying in the dirt after her defeat, her shame had seemed to demand it. Now look what it had got her. If she returned home without defeating the girl she would be further shamed, an object of ridicule. Any hope Shampoo had of one day succeeding her great grandmother as a matriarch of their people would be gone in such an event.

Another worry which Shampoo worked hard to ignore, although it gnawed away at her gut, was whether or not she could really go through with it. Among her people, she was the best fighter of her generation. She had won contest after contest, defeated all challengers from among her peers, until the fateful day Ranma had walked into their village. But she had never before killed another human being. Oh sure, it had been easy to give the kiss, easy to declare that she would do so. But her dreams were haunted by nightmares of standing over a broken body, covered in the girl's blood, feeling horror at the sight. Shampoo would wake after these dreams, cold and shaking, fighting back tears, trying to banish the memory.

She also knew that if she now succeeded in her mission, it would likely be many years before she saw her home again. Had she killed Ranma within a few miles of the village, the body would have been disposed of and no one would have been the wiser. Here in this foreign land where she stood out so obviously and knew so little of their ways, was it at all likely that she would escape after committing what the local people would see as an act of murder? Shampoo had no illusions on that score. Ranma's death would most likely be followed by years in a foreign prison, before she could ever hope to see her father and great grandmother again. And she had to hope it would be a Japanese prison. She didn't want to imagine what might happen to her if the Japanese handed her over to Chinese authorities to be dealt with, an embarrassment to be swept out of sight.

Shampoo took a deep breath and raised her chin. Such worrying about the future was for the weak, it was not befitting a warrior of the Joketsuzoku. With determination she marched up to a café which had put out an "Open" sign to get a bite to eat, and to ask some questions about whether people had heard news reports about a panda bear or where she could find information on martial arts institutions.

* * *

Akane woke that morning feeling a little uncomfortable. She remembered some dreams she had during the night, dreams in which she was once again trapped with Ryoga Hibiki and Ranma was trying to warn her or rescue her, she wasn't sure which. It was disturbing, and she wondered what it meant. She smiled as the little pig beside her blinked open its eyes and gave a big yawn. Akane scratched under his chin, then got up to change out of her pajamas into a gi, not noticing how the little pig turned toward the wall during this process.

When Ranma joined Akane out in the dojo, he frowned at the sight of the pig sitting on one of the benches against the wall. The pig gave a snort and glared back. Ranma was at a loss to understand what Akane could see in the jerk Ryoga, but it was clear that at the very least, she must feel some measure of compassion for him. Why else would she have continued to allow him to sleep in her room? Not that he could possibly have stayed in her room if he wasn't a pig.

Ranma hoped it was only compassion.

The boy resolutely turned to look at Akane instead of Ryoga. He had seen to it that she knew about the curse. What Akane chose to do with that knowledge was her own decision. He was damned if he was going to ask her why she was still letting him sleep in her room.

"You ready to start?" Ranma called out, somehow managing to keep his voice even.

"Yep!" Akane replied happily.

Half an hour was spent in tedious exercises, working on speed, balance, control and similar factors. The pig watched it all with what appeared to be a degree of interest. When the exercises were completed to Ranma's satisfaction, he rewarded Akane as usual by sparring with her. Afterward they went back into the house to clean up and eat breakfast, with Ranma pointedly ignoring the pig the entire time. Finally, they headed off to school. Ranma's spirits were actually lifted despite their destination, since Ryoga was left back at the house.

Ranma had to stand in the hallway holding buckets of water no fewer than three times that day, due to failure to pay attention in his classes. He just couldn't wrap his mind around how easily Akane had forgiven Ryoga for using his cursed form to sneak into her bed, let alone that she had allowed him to do so again. Also, why was she permitting him to continue hanging around, pretending to be her pet? He had thought he was getting to know Akane pretty well, but the Akane he knew should have torn Ryoga limb from limb for such behavior.

His lack of attention reached a peak while playing baseball during gym class, when he failed to catch an easy fly ball that came his way. Daisuke stormed over from second base to Ranma's position at short stop and loudly demanded to know why his head had been stuck up his backside all day. Ranma flushed, but just told the other boy to go to hell, and promised he'd wake up. He did manage to stay focused on the game a little better for the remainder of the class period.

When they walked into the house that afternoon, Akane was gloomily complaining to Ranma, "I can't believe that old woman splashed us _again_. Does she spend all day at that gate waiting for us to walk by?"

Ranma, speaking out of Akane's face, gave her a bitter smirk as he replied, "It's the only explanation I can think of."

At that moment Ryoga walked up, still in his pig form, and saw Akane and Ranma removing their shoes. Without thinking, he bared his teeth, then jumped up and sunk them into "Ranma's" arm. ‹Ha! Take that!› he crowed internally.

Akane shrieked and smacked her hand across her pet's snout, hard. "Bad boy!" The pig fell to the floor, somehow landing on its feet.

Ryoga shook his head to clear it before looking up to see the boy above him pouting. He snorted at the thought that Ranma wasn't even man enough to follow up and attack him. Feeling smug, he jumped up into "Akane's" arms.

He was extremely surprised when the girl's hand flew out and smacked him into the wall before he could reach her. He fell to the floor, dazed, then scampered away. He was thoroughly confused.

Akane turned to Ranma and sighed. "I guess he doesn't know me in this form. We'd better get some hot water and change back."

Ranma's mouth was twisted with disgust, saying nothing, although he followed her into the kitchen. He was thinking, ‹What the hell? Does that mean she hasn't told Ryoga about her curse yet? I guess not. Huh.›

When Akane got up to her bedroom, female once more, she found the pig in the middle of her floor. Its head was swiveling around, as if trying to decide where to go. When he caught sight of the girl who had just entered the room, he started backing up warily.

Akane smiled and stepped over to him quickly, scooping him up and cradling him in her arms. "Mommy's sorry she smacked you. But I don't want you biting, uh, _Ranma_ any more. That's not nice. If you do it again, I may have to put you on a leash or in a cage or something."

Ryoga shuddered. He decided that he'd better pursue more subtle tactics of revenge while he was stuck in this form. He wished he'd been able to find the furoba like he had been trying, instead of ending up in this bedroom again. ‹Oh, well. There are compensations,› he thought as he snuggled up closer to Akane's soft chest.

At dinner that evening, Ranma looked with disfavor at the pig sitting on Akane's knees. Gesturing toward the animal with his chopsticks, he remarked, "Do you really think you should be feeding him from the table all of the time? It can't be good for him."

Ryoga turned a high intensity glare on Ranma and growled softly. Kasumi spoke up, saying, "Yes, you're quite right. Akane, while you're in school tomorrow I'll go out to a pet shop and buy some food for your little piggy."

Akane, who had begun to give Ranma a mild scowl, instead turned and gave a thoughtful look to her older sister. Her mouth curved up into a smile and she said, "Thanks, oneechan. I guess that would be for the best."

Ranma lowered his face, staring at his bowl of rice, his eyebrows drawn down darkly. ‹Huh. Didn't expect her to agree to _that_. I wonder what Ryoga thinks of the idea of eating pet food. He hasn't darted out the door, at least. O'course, he doesn't have anything to worry about until after breakfast tomorrow.›

Akane, continuing to smile, looked around the table at everyone. "By the way, I've decided to name the little fellow 'P-chan'."

Nabiki stared at her little sister, blinking a few times. "P-chan?"

Akane picked the pig up and rubbed her nose against his snout. "Yes, P-chan. 'P' is for 'pig'. Him's just the cutest little pig, isn't him?" Nabiki and Ranma both pretended to gag while Kasumi looked on serenely. The two fathers didn't seem to be paying any attention.

Nabiki decided she desperately wanted a change of subject. "So did you guys hear about our victory today?"

Ranma looked up, curious. "Huh? No. What victory?"

"Furinkan's gymnastics club had a match against a team from St. Hebereke. We won. I'm surprised you didn't hear, because it was supposed to be some sort of martial arts gymnastics. The way I heard it, the St. Hebereke team played like they'd never been in such a match before."

"Huh," Ranma grunted thoughtfully. "Wish I'd known about that. Might've been interesting to watch." He shrugged, then dismissed the matter as being of no importance. From the expressions passing across her face, Akane had followed a similar train of thought.

Later that night Ranma was walking down the hall, preparing to go down to take his bath. He passed Akane coming up the stairs, obviously just finished with her own to judge by the towel wrapped around her hair. He found himself unable to keep his mouth shut.

"Where's that pig of yours? You didn't take him in the bath with you, did you?"

Akane stopped and stare at him, perplexed. "What's _wrong_ with you these days? Why does P-chan bother you so much?"

Ranma looked away, not sure how to answer. Why _did_ it bother him so much? It was her choice, wasn't it? If she wanted to make a pet out of a creep like Ryoga, what right did he have to tell her not to? Maybe if he really _were_ her fiancé, or something. But he and she had both agreed that, no matter what their other family members might say, they weren't _really_ engaged.

Ranma turned back, struggling to keep from scowling at her. He wasn't able to keep the bitterness entirely out of his voice. "I just can't understand why you want to make a _pet_ out of him. It's ... it's _stupid_! Do you really plan to let him keep sleeping in your bed?"

Akane tilted her head, unable to understand why her friend seemed so troubled about it. "Of course I am."

"Why?" The question was loud, drawn out, filled with a demand for understanding.

Akane gave him a smile. The answer was simple, really. "Because I love him." Hoping he would understand now, she turned and strolled down the hall to her bedroom.

Ranma stared after her, eyes wide, jaw hanging open. A lump lodged in his throat, huge, leaving him gasping for breath. An inexplicable pain filled his chest. ‹She ... she loves _Ryoga_? How ... why ... _No_! She _can't_!› He slowly collapsed to sit on the top step of the stairs. An endless time passed before he finally rose, his mind empty of all thought, and continued on his way with the lifeless walk of a zombie to finally take his bath.

* * *

**Author's note:**

For those who are wondering about the timing of Ryoga and the gymnastics match, I had Ryoga arrive in Nerima for the first time a bit later in this universe than he did in canon. About a week later. This allowed me to give Akane a bit more time to recover from her hospitalization before the events with Ryoga take place.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	5. Ice Capades

**Side by Side  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Sequel to _Togetherness_. Alternate universe story in which Ranma and Akane are cursed to change into duplicates of one another.

I'm sorry that its been over five months since I've posted an update to this story, but as you can see, I haven't abandoned it. If you wish to refresh your memory on what has gone before, but don't want to reread _Togetherness_ and all of the preceding chapters, then you can find a summary of events through the previous chapter on my web site. I'll try to keep that summary updated as I post additional chapters.

Except that as of the moment I am posting this, Comcast is having server problems which are preventing me from uploading to my web site. So until that is resolved you may find the summary in my LiveJournal entry of 2008-05-18. Just go to my profile page and follow the link to my LiveJournal.

I also feel a tad embarrassed to be posting this just two weeks after I finished _The Silent Horse_, given how I emphasized the possibility of a delay in the Author's Note of that final chapter. What can I say? I got the draft of chapter 7 of this story done much sooner than expected, and my pre-reader got this chapter back to me amazingly quickly.

* * *

**Chapter 5. Ice Capades**

Ryoga stirred sleepily as the alarm buzzed and Akane climbed out of bed, even though she tried to be careful and not wake her pet. He shuffled around so that his face pointed toward the wall, closing his eyes, as he heard the rustle of cloth which signaled that the cute girl's pajamas were being dropped on the floor. A few minutes later he heard her leave the room, presumably now wearing either her gi or jogging clothes, depending on whether her training session with Ranma was in the morning or afternoon. He still hadn't figured out the schedule they used. The little pig gave a mighty yawn, for its size, then fell asleep once more.

At some later point the closing of the bedroom door awakened him again. Ryoga raised his head to look behind him, where he saw Akane pulling her t-shirt over her head. He snapped his head back toward the wall, waiting as she changed into her school uniform.

Akane's voice called cheerfully. "Come on sleepyhead, wake up! Are you planning to stay in bed all day, P-chan? Mommy's getting ready to go to school now. She's sorry she didn't take you downstairs for breakfast, but Aunt Kasumi is going to bring you back something better to eat later on." There was a pause. "Hmmph. I wish I could just lie about in bed and not have to go to school. I'll see you later, baby." She blew her pet a kiss and twirled out through the door.

Ryoga did some hard thinking upon this reminder that Akane was planning to start feeding him pet food. He loved the attention, the hugs, the kisses. He felt like he was falling dizzily, madly in love with this girl. Not that he could picture himself ever managing to tell her of his feelings. Besides, he thought glumly, she had spent at least a couple of _hours_ last night talking to him before going to sleep, confiding in her little pet. And every other damn word had been about _Ranma_ and the training they were doing. It had been like some form of hell, being in her presence, but having to listen to her talk about his enemy in relatively glowing terms. Even when she criticized his rival for acting like a jerk it sounded half-hearted.

If only there were some way to remove Ranma from the picture. With that so-and-so out of the way, maybe Akane could begin to see his own good points. She could train with _him_ instead. He'd ask her out on a date, and she'd say yes! More dates would follow. One day he would go down on one knee and propose to her, and she would say yes again! He would ask Akane if she was really sure that she preferred him to Ranma, and she would look at him in confusion and ask 'Ranma who?'

It was a nice daydream, but how to get rid of Ranma? Well, one thing he could do would be to try to fight him again when Ranma was in his cursed form. As a girl, his adversary would be weaker, easier to beat. Unfortunately the only time he had seen him in his cursed form was that night they fought in the rain. About the only impression he had of what Ranma looked like was 'female,' which was hardly helpful. That meant he wouldn't even know the jerk if he met him in his cursed form. Ryoga supposed he could try to splash him before fighting him. Picturing this in his mind, he was forced to grimace at the thought of trying to splash Ranma without leaving himself open to being splashed in return.

With a weary sigh for the mess his life had become, Ryoga climbed to his feet and hopped off the bed. He trotted out the door, hoping that he could find something to eat, while still wondering what to do about the threatened pet food. While searching for the kitchen, he found himself at the front door, where Kasumi was in the act of pulling on her shoes.

"Oh, hello P-chan," the eldest of the Tendo sisters greeted him happily. "I'm just on my way off to do the shopping. As soon as I get back, I'll have something for you to eat. I hope you can hold out till then." She gave him one last smile, then disappeared out the door, closing it gently behind her.

Ryoga reflected yet again on what a lucky bastard that Ranma was, getting to live here with the lovely Akane and her sisters, sweet Kasumi and ... well, Nabiki was okay he supposed. She seemed to care about Akane anyway. The little pig, still looking at the front door, cocked his head to the side, pondering. Who was the other sister? The one he had seen that time in the furoba, his first night here. Wasn't she Akane's twin? Come to think of it, he hadn't seen her since that night. Maybe she was older than she looked, and had already moved away from home? Or was living at some college? He shook his head, having no means to discover the answer from just standing there.

Continuing to seek the kitchen and food, Ryoga found himself in the bathing room. Oh well, might as well take advantage and change back to human. With a great deal of difficulty, since his hooves were hardly designed for the purpose, he got the hot water flowing into the furo. Jumping under the stream reverted him instantly to a boy, whereupon he turned off the water. He climbed out, dried himself with a towel and donned a yukata, then started searching again. What he was really hoping for was the kitchen so he could eat, but he wouldn't say no to some real clothes either.

Opening a door, Ryoga found himself staring into a room he thought he recognized as the one in which Ranma had been sleeping. Much though he might hate Ranma, at least his clothes should fit. Finding himself facing a closet, he opened the door. Shocked, Ryoga saw that his own pack, together with his umbrella, were sitting right there on the floor of the closet. ‹Damn you Ranma! Stealing my things!›

A few minutes later, dressed, with his pack and umbrella on his back, Ryoga set out for the kitchen, determined. ‹Let's see, what did I do wrong last time? Maybe it should have been: down the stairs, back up the stairs, down the hall, into Akane's room, out Akane's window, in the back door, through the furoba, out the secret door from the furoba, turn around five times, and walk into the kitchen.› Following this plan, Ryoga looked around to find himself standing on the sidewalk beside a road. He hung his head and began walking. ‹Oh well. At least now I don't have to worry about someone feeding me pet food.›

* * *

Nabiki smiled as two girls entered the otherwise empty classroom to join her. "Glad you could make it. How are things going?"

The girl with the long ponytail sighed. "It's a lot harder than before. _Everybody_ likes to make bets. Convincing people that they need the information we have to sell isn't nearly as easy."

Nabiki grinned, shark-like. "You've just gotten lazy. Each sale we do make brings in a lot more money. I figure that within another three months, I'll be turning a bigger profit than my old enterprises, which means more money eventually reaching your pockets in turn. Speaking of which, here." She handed an envelope to the second girl. "See to it that this gets to Matsushita-san at his office this afternoon. It's a list of the four sites being considered for the new sports complex." The girl nodded, looking intent.

Turning back to the first girl, Nabiki asked, "About that little matter I asked you to look into ...?"

She shook her head, her ponytail swinging gently, then held out a sheet of paper. "Here's a list of all the names of people who anyone remembers taking photographs around school recently. I'm afraid it's rather long. Nobody remembers seeing Kuno talking to anyone outside the gate day before yesterday. Or if they do, they aren't admitting it. Sorry."

Nabiki sighed. "Not your fault. I'll find out who it is eventually." The look in her eyes made the other two girls swallow convulsively, glad they hadn't been so foolish as to try selling photos of Nabiki's sister Akane to the delusional but wealthy kendoist.

Nabiki shook off the brief dark mood which had engulfed her, smiling more naturally. "Okay, on to other matters. I have a request from Tsukigami-san, the baseball coach at Komadai, to gather some extra information on some players he's scouting, concerning matters beyond the baseball diamond. Seems he's been burned recently by a couple of scandals involving some people on his team, and wants to try to make sure it doesn't happen again. Now, here's what I want you to do ..."

* * *

Akane's feet flashed around the small stones which had been laid out on the dojo floor as she sparred with Ranma. A couple of painful missteps had already made clear the importance of keeping their layout in the back of her mind as she fought. Ranma appeared to float around the pebbles without noticing them at all. Drat him.

Still, the exercise was exhilarating. Or it would have been, if Ranma weren't moping about something. Akane wasn't sure how she was certain that he was in a funk, since his expression, although not cheerful, merely looked like he was concentrating on the fight. Nonetheless, she _was_ certain of it. In fact, he'd been that way all day, and she was at a loss to guess at its cause.

Wondering if a little teasing might help, Akane waited until a moment where a complex combination of kicks and punches came closer than usual to getting through his guard, without making any mistakes in placing her feet around the rocks. Smiling, she asked, "So how am I doing, sensei?"

The pigtailed boy's nose wrinkled as if he had smelled something bad. "_Must_ you keep calling me that? How many times have I asked you not to?"

"Dunno," Akane replied, wincing at a painfully blocked punch. "How many days have you been training me now?"

Ranma sighed as he spun away from a kick. "I s'pose I shouldn't complain. My pop and I call each other a lot worse when we spar. I ain't looking forward to doing that with you."

Akane faltered, earning herself a kick which sent her flying across the floor. She bounced back to her feet immediately, but held still in a defensive stance. "Did you just say that you're planning to start insulting me while we fight?"

The boy facing her paused rather than resuming the attack immediately. "Not exactly. Not right away, anyway. It's got to be part of the training though. At least eventually. Remember when I talked to you about fighting Ryoga?" Ranma scowled at bringing up the other boy's name, especially as he was uncertain how Akane would react to this reminder. "I suggested teasing or insulting him. You might find yourself on the receiving end of the same thing if you ever face a _real_ enemy. You gotta know that you can take it."

Akane looked sick. "That ... I'd rather not. Do we really have to?"

Ranma cocked his head to the side, feeling marginally happier at this sign that she might still consider him a good friend, if she didn't want to exchange insults at that sort of level. "I was thinking of holding off till you start sparring with my old man as well. Let him insult you. He's real good at it, and I don't care if you get disgusted with _him_."

Akane smiled. "Oh. That's all right then."

The young woman was pleased to see that her friend and training partner seemed a little less down, even if she could tell he was not precisely happy. She wanted to try to keep him from getting depressed again.

"Hey, Ranma," she called, as she walked over to a bench and picked up a water bottle. "Yuka, Sayuri and I were planning to go ice skating after school tomorrow. You want to come with us?"

She turned back to see him looking at her blankly.

"Ice skating? You mean, on ice skates?"

"Uh, yeah," she responded quizzically. "Ice skates are sort of a prerequisite for ice skating."

Ranma snorted, then looked embarrassed. "It's just ... I ain't ever been ice skating before."

Akane's reaction was not as he expected. Her eyes widened with delight, and she bounced on her toes and gave a little clap. "Oooh! You mean that _I_ get to teach _you_ something? Now you've _got_ to come!"

Although apprehensive about the idea, Ranma found her smile infectious. "I ... guess I could." He thought about going to the rink with Akane and her friends, which brought to mind a couple of incidents when the girls had teased him. "Uh ... would it be all right if I invite Daisuke and Hiroshi as well? So I won't be outnumbered?"

"What? Scared?" Akane grinned. "Yeah, I suppose that'll be okay."

Ranma turned and walked back to the center of the dojo. "Right then. If that's settled, have you finished with your break? 'Cause we're not done here."

"Didn't think we were." Putting the bottle down, Akane made an enormous leap which carried her right into striking range. Not that she managed to strike him, but Ranma did give her a satisfied nod. The sound of blows being blocked filled the dojo.

* * *

Akane looked up at the sound of the front bell, breaking off her conversation with her friends. "I wonder if that's the boys?" she asked rhetorically, getting to her feet. Stepping out onto the engawa and heading to the front of the house, she met Hiroshi and Daisuke on their way in.

"Come on in, guys," she told them, cheerfully enough. Akane tried to keep from showing any sign that she still regarded the pair of them as perverts, although given their nervous expressions they may have guessed. On reentering the family room, she said, "If you two can wait here with Yuka and Sayuri, I'll go see what's keeping Ranma."

"No need. I'm here," came a voice from the hallway which sounded suspiciously similar to Akane's. Ranma strolled through the doorway to reveal that he was identical to Akane in body as well, then stopped short at the look everyone was giving him. "Wh-wh-what?" he stammered.

"Why are you in your Akane-body?" Hiroshi asked.

Yuka looked at him sidelong. "His Akane-body?"

"Well, how would you say it?" he wanted to know with a shrug.

Akane pursed her lips. "Female body. Female form. Cursed form. Girl side. I don't really care as long as you don't make it sound like he owns _my_ body." She turned back to Ranma. "Still, it's a good question. Why _are_ you in your cursed form? Hurry up and change back so we can go."

Ranma looked down at himself. "I thought I'd go like this. I already told you, I don't know how to skate. And a guy who can't skate would look ridiculous."

Akane's eyes narrowed. "But you don't mind if you look ridiculous while you look like me?"

The young martial artist looked at the three pairs of female eyes glaring at him, and his two male friends who studiously looked elsewhere, their body language shouting that he was in this by himself. "Um, do you really mind?"

"Yes," Akane said stonily. She pointed toward the kitchen. "Hot water. Now."

Ranma sighed, but didn't want to start a fight over it. It had only been a thought, and he'd had a feeling she wasn't going to go for it. He ducked into the kitchen, changed back to male, then joined the others as they left the house.

"Do you guys know how to skate?" Sayuri asked the other two boys. "Or are you in the same boat as Ranma?"

Daisuke grinned and shrugged. "I can skate all right, I guess. At least I can move around on the ice and don't fall down. Hiroshi here is pretty good though."

The other boy blushed as his five classmates turned their attention on him. "My parents have always loved to ice skate. I've been skating pretty much ever since I could walk. I'm just too lazy to put in the kind of hours that would be necessary to compete."

Ranma was distracted from the small talk as he caught sight of movement in an alley they were passing. Looking closer, he saw a little black pig wearing a bandanna as a neckerchief. ‹Aw, hell! I thought I'd seen the last of him for a while when Kasumi told us yesterday that he'd disappeared. Please, please, don't see us.›

The silent prayer was in vain. Ryoga looked up and spotted Akane among the group walking past. With a squeal of delight he broke into a run, and jumped up into the arms of the delighted girl.

"Oh, P-chan!" she squealed herself. "Where have you been?! I was so worried. I thought you'd gotten lost and couldn't find your way back home. I'm so glad to see you!" She rubbed her nose on the little pig's snout, then crushed him against her chest.

"Someone you know?" Yuka wondered.

Akane grinned at her. "My new pet, P-chan. He just showed up out of nowhere one night a few days back, the night when it rained all the way through till morning. He's such a cute little guy! But he ran off somewhere yesterday. I was afraid I'd lost him."

The other two girls bent over the pig, petting and making much of him. Hiroshi and Daisuke were indifferent. Without warning, Akane had a sudden impression that Ranma was feeling gloomy again, and turned her head to look over her shoulder at him, puzzled. She wasn't certain but thought her impression might be correct, even though his expression looked more empty than gloomy. Almost as if he were trying to mask his emotions.

"Hey, are we going skating or what?" Ranma asked, sounding indifferent as to the answer. The other girls looked up at him, Sayuri stuck out her tongue, and the group resumed their walk to the rink.

After renting their skates, the six teenagers sat down in two groups to pull them on, boys in one group and girls in the other. Sayuri, eyebrows lifting as if the thought had only just occurred, asked quietly, "How are we going to pair off for this?" She made sure to keep her voice down low enough that the boys wouldn't overhear.

"What do you mean?" Yuka wanted to know.

"Well," came the answer, "Akane's gonna be with Ranma, right? They're engaged, and besides she's going to be teaching him to skate." Akane gave her friend a hard look for the first half of this statement, but allowed her expression to smooth back out and nodded her agreement for the rest. Her pet pig, on the other hand, seemed to be glaring at Akane's friend with no great liking.

Sayuri went on, looking at Yuka. "That means either you and I stay together, or we pair off with Hiroshi and Daisuke. To tell you the truth, I'd kind of like to see if Hiroshi can skate as well as they said."

Yuka thought about it and decided she didn't object. She might have if her friend had tried to pawn her off on Hiroshi, whom rumor painted as definitely having a one-track mind. But the same rumors suggested that Daisuke wasn't quite as bad, and it might be fun. After the brief pause during which she reached this conclusion, Yuka nodded her acceptance.

Akane gave a soft snort and spoke in the same quiet tones, "Just watch yourselves out there, okay? I suppose they can't try much with all these people around, but after hearing the sort of thing they say to Ranma, I know what they'll be thinking about."

Sayuri shook her head, just a little. "One of these days, Akane ... It's not so bad, you know, to think about such things, now and then. One of these days you're going to figure that out for yourself. And I hope I'm there when it happens. Just so I can remind you of all these little comments you've made along the way."

Akane stuck out her tongue at her friend, then they climbed to their feet to join the boys who were also getting up. Akane picked up P-chan, carrying him with her. She didn't want to risk losing him again before she got home.

The true extent of the task to which Akane had set herself became apparent as soon as they stepped out onto the ice. The moment his blades made contact with the surface, Ranma's feet shot out from under him and he landed heavily on his back. Akane reached down one hand, holding P-chan under the other, and tried to help him to his feet. However, his legs sawed back and forth wildly, unable to remain still and find the balance to hold him upright.

"Honestly!" Akane exclaimed irritably. "How can you possibly be such a great martial artist, but can't even manage to _stand up_ on the ice." She was nearly dragged off of her own feet, before Ranma managed to clutch the wall. It was clear that this was going to be a daunting challenge.

Observing Ranma's taut face as he held himself up with a death grip on the wall, Akane looked back down at her pet in her arms. She next looked over at her friend Yuka woefully. "Do you think you could watch P-chan for me? I think I'm going to need both hands for this."

Yuka wasn't very thrilled with the idea, but agreed nonetheless, reaching out to take the little pig. Ryoga struggled, wanting to stay with Akane, and not caring in the least that she wouldn't be able to help Ranma. In fact, he hoped that Akane would give up and have one of the others try to teach Ranma instead. Akane was insistent, however, so rather than risk angering her he stopped squirming and allowed Yuka to tuck him under her arm.

An hour later things were going more or less smoothly when a group of five boys, around ten years old or so, blundered into Yuka and Daisuke and sent them sprawling. After climbing back to their feet, the boys skated off with only the most perfunctory of apologies. Yuka glared after them uselessly, picked up P-chan from where he'd slid against the wall, then put her hand in Daisuke's once more. Except that in giving her attention to this hand she gave a gasp of dismay to notice that her bracelet was missing.

"What's wrong?" Daisuke asked, worried.

"My bracelet! My birthday bracelet! My grandmother gave it to me, just a few weeks before she passed away. It's gone. Help me find it! Please!"

Daisuke started looking around frantically and waved at Hiroshi who, with Sayuri in tow, quickly joined them. Yuka looked over toward Akane, thinking to ask her to help as well, but decided not to bother. Ranma was sticking very close to Akane, and if he also came over it seemed all too likely that the new boy would prove more hindrance than help. While it was true that he was now managing to stay on his feet while Akane towed him around the ice, this was only the case so long as Akane didn't let go.

Yuka placed Ryoga down on the ice again, beside the wall. "Stay there and don't move, P-chan! I need to find my bracelet." She skated off a short distance, peering among the legs of the people moving past.

Several minutes went by before Hiroshi spotted something past the flashing blades of the other skaters, lying on the ice near one wall. Pointing to it, he called out, "Is that it?" The young man skated over rapidly, stooping low to scoop the object up off the ice. He then skated back, handing it over to Yuka who gave a glad cry on seeing it.

"Thank you, Hiroshi," she told the boy. "Thank you so much!"

He jammed his hands into his pockets, embarrassed. "That's okay. I didn't do anything, really." He cast his eyes around. "Uh, look ... what do you guys say we take a break? I bet Akane and Ranma could use one."

This idea was quickly endorsed by the others, and gained Ranma's emphatic agreement once he heard the suggestion. In short order the girls were seated around a table in the snack area, reserving it for their group, while the boys went off to get some yakitori and soda.

"So, did the boys behave themselves?" Akane asked, leaning forward with her forearms on the table.

"Daisuke did," Yuka admitted. "Not even a single lewd comment."

Sayuri blushed. "Hiroshi got his hand on my bottom at one point, but I can't say if he was being a pervert or just helpful. Or maybe a bit of both. I slipped and he caught me to keep me from falling." She turned to Akane. "How about Ranma?"

Akane shook her head. "Ranma wouldn't act like that, and certainly not toward me. Besides," she gave a pained smile, "it's kind of hard to be a pervert if you can't even stay on your feet."

Sayuri grinned in acknowledgment. "I suppose so. Is he getting any better yet?"

Akane shrugged. "Not much, but what can you expect in just an hour or so? I figure ..." She broke off, looking toward Yuka with a puzzled frown. "Uh ... where's P-chan?"

Yuka's hands flew to her mouth. "Omigosh. Akane, I'm so sorry. My bracelet fell off, and I put him down while we were looking for it. I'll go find him." She was already jumping out of her chair before she finished speaking, and Akane and Sayuri both rose to follow her.

Out on the ice, Ryoga was looking around, trying to spot the girl who had been carrying him. Or Akane. Or anyone in their group. Heck, he'd even settle for Ranma right now. The skates flashing past his face worried him. Biting his tongue, Ryoga made the daring decision to go off in search of Akane, hoping he could avoid getting lost while doing so.

A moment later there was a squeal which rose rapidly in pitch until Ryoga's ears started to bleed. "Oh! How _cute_!" He scrabbled his hooves on the ice, trying to get away from the painful sound, but a pair of skates slid to a stop in front of his nose, blocking the way. Ryoga attempted to back away from them. There was a sudden explosion of pain on top of his head, and the world went black.

Ranma, Hiroshi and Daisuke returned from the concession booth to find that the girls had disappeared and someone else had their table. They put the food down on another table where the people were just leaving, then stood there gazing around, wondering what had happened.

"Where do you think they went?" Daisuke asked.

Ranma turned to face Hiroshi. "You didn't do anything to Sayuri, did you?"

"Who, me?" Hiroshi pled innocently. Taking in the two pairs of eyes staring at him, he amplified, "I swear! I didn't do anything!" Going on the attack, he demanded of Ranma, "How about you? You probably said something that upset Akane!"

"Me? Look, I admit Akane's got a temper, but I didn't ..."

He broke off as the girl under discussion appeared suddenly in front of his face, visibly unhappy. "Uh, uh, now see here, Akane. Okay, so you got a bit of a temper. That don't mean ..."

Akane interrupted him. "P-chan is lost! Help me! We've got to find him!" Tears were starting to form at the corners of her eyes.

"Why? He'll turn up again," Ranma replied bitterly.

Akane's eyes widened, shocked and hurt, making Ranma feel like a cad. "What is _wrong_ with you? Why do you _hate_ him so much?"

After a beat she added in a whisper, "Can't you even help for _my_ sake? I thought you were my friend."

Now Ranma felt ten times the heel. He turned his head, unable to meet her eyes, and cleared his throat. "Yeah, uh ... yeah. I'll help. Of course I'll help. Let's go find the little ... guy."

He turned back toward the rink only to see a girl walking past, carrying a pig. She reminded Ranma of some sort of doll, dressed in furs and frills, her long, wavy hair tied back with a bow. She looked like she should be on display somewhere. He reached back, tapped Akane's shoulder, then pointed once he had her attention.

"P-chan!" Akane gave a loud cry. She rushed over to reclaim her pet.

The other girl twisted away from Akane's outstretched arms. "Why are you trying to take my Charlotte?"

"What are you talking about?" Akane said. "That's my pet, P-chan."

"No, this is my widdle pet, Charlotte!" She squeezed the pig tightly, forcing an agonized squeal from him.

Ranma moved closer, wondering if there was anything he could do. Even if he didn't like Ryoga, he didn't want Akane to be angry with him, or upset any further. His eyes narrowed darkly as the strange girl's male companion reached down and plucked Ryoga up out of reach of both girls. In a blur of motion Ranma moved in, jabbed an elbow into the other boy's arm, caught Ryoga as the spasming hand released him, suffered bitten fingers, and handed the pig to a surprised Akane.

"You cretin!" the boy hissed in pain. "Why did you do that? I was going to return the creature to her."

Ranma glared at him in disbelief. The girl was trying to find some way around him to get to Akane, shouting, "Give him back! Give him back!" Ranma kept stepping precisely in her way whichever direction she dodged.

Rubbing the bruise on his arm, the boy stated coldly, "I demand satisfaction! You will meet me one week from today, whereupon I will teach you some manners!"

Ranma shrugged. "If it's a fight you want, I'll be happy to give it to you. Just tell me where."

The boy's eyes glittered. "I do not speak of anything so crude as a brawl. We will meet on the ice. The place will be the skating rink at Kolkhoz High School."

Hiroshi snapped his fingers. "_That's_ where I recognize them from! They're the Golden Pair of Kolkhoz High School. Azusa Shiratori and Mikado Sanzenin."

Yuka gasped. "You're right! I recognize them now too!"

Mikado smoothed his hair back with one hand, flashing a smile at Yuka, then widening it to encompass Akane and Sayuri as well. "I see that my reputation precedes me. I hope that you will all come to witness this fellow's defeat."

Hiroshi cleared his throat. "Er, Ranma, this guy is a pretty damn good skater ..."

The words were wasted. Ranma had been challenged, and something in him wanted to trash this guy. It probably had something to do with the way he was leering at the girls. "Fine then! I'll see you there."

Azusa had finally given up on trying to get around Ranma to steal back the pig. Her eyes glittered in hatred, locked on Akane. "You'll pay for taking my Charlotte! I challenge you! You and this boy will face us together on the ice next week. The Golden Pair will teach you _both_ a lesson!"

"Okay by me!" Akane replied with a slight sneer in her voice. "Ranma and I will be there. But you're mistaken about who's going to be learning a lesson."

"Hmmph!" Azusa spun and stalked off, trailed by Mikado. She paused a moment later, squealed "Giselle," picked up a handful of yakitori from a tray on a table, and continued on her way.

Ranma and the others just watched them go, shaking their heads. Then Ranma started. "Hey! That was _our_ food!"

* * *

"... so we're supposed to meet them for some kind of ice skating match next Thursday, over at Kolkhoz High," Akane finished up the story. Most of the family members were staring at her.

Everyone except Genma, that is, who was shoveling food into his mouth as fast as he could. But then his chopsticks paused, and he looked at his son with a puzzled expression. "When did you learn to skate, boy?"

Ranma had been watching the squirming pig in Akane's lap. He looked up on hearing the question. "I started learning today."

Nabiki's eyebrows lifted. "Today? And you're going to have a match next week? Against two champion ice skaters?" She shook her head. "You two are nuts."

Ranma stuck his tongue out at her, then lifted another clump of rice from his bowl.

Nabiki sighed. "That's hardly an answer." At a grunt from P-chan, she joined Ranma in staring at the squirming pig. "Sister, dear, your pet obviously doesn't want to be held. Why not let him go?"

Akane also regarded P-chan. "I don't want him to get lost again."

Her older sister gestured with her arm, moving it through a wide arc. "All of the outside doors are closed. Where is he going to get lost to? He's probably decided that he's hungry, you know, changed his mind about the dinner he refused earlier."

As it was becoming quite difficult to hold on to him, Akane decided to accept this argument and let go. "Okay, P-chan. There you go. Go ahead and eat. Or whatever." The little pig bolted off down the hall.

Ranma's eyes followed Ryoga's disappearance, wondering what he was up to. Everyone else seemed to ignore the pig. Conversation resumed about the events at the rink that afternoon, and particularly the bold way that Azusa had tried to simply walk off with someone else's pet. Genma was trying to offer his own suggestions for how to teach Ranma to skate expertly in just a week, but aside from a few wide-eyed stares at particularly outrageous ideas no one paid him much heed.

The shoji out to the engawa slid aside with an unexpected crash, causing everyone's eyes to jerk toward it and the figure which was now standing there.

"Oh, Ryoga-kun! Welcome!" Kasumi said politely. "Would you like to join us for supper?"

Ryoga's eyes were on Akane. "You want a _real_ skater? Forget Ranma! Let me be your partner!"

Akane stared at the boy in shock. She had last seen him at the beginning of the week, when she had awakened to find him outdoors fighting Ranma in the rain. A fight which had ended, she recalled, when she herself had struck Ryoga in the head with a dumbbell. The time before that she had also been fighting with him. Now suddenly he wanted to join up with her in an ice skating match, over a challenge in which he hadn't been involved in any way?

"That's, er, a very generous offer," Akane replied reasonably, "but, well, the challenge _was_ made to Ranma."

Ranma brightened considerably on hearing this. "You heard her, pig-boy. Akane and me are gonna take 'em on."

Akane winced on hearing Ranma's belligerent tone. She really didn't want them starting another fight right there in the house, in the middle of dinner. She tried to distract them. "Do you really know how to skate, Ryoga-kun?"

Ranma's expression drooped. Akane probably _would_ prefer to be paired with the guy she loved, especially if he already knew how to skate.

Ryoga seemed flustered by her direct gaze on him. He blushed, broke into a sweat, and looked down at his feet. "Of ... of course I know how to skate. Hee hee. What kind of fool can't skate?"

Ranma's temper boiled over on hearing this. No _way_ was he going to take that lying down! Akane was right. The challenge had been issued to _him_, and whatever it took, _he_ was going to be the one skating in that match beside Akane!

"I dunno," Ranma said aloud. "What kind of fool are you? Like she said, it's _my_ challenge, not yours, so I'm gonna be the one skating it! You'd probably get lost trying to find your way there, anyway!"

"Ha!" Ryoga shouted. "What d'ya say we go to the rink tomorrow and _see_ who's the better skater? That'll show who'll be a better partner for Akane-san!"

It occurred to Genma that having a rival to match himself against would serve as a useful training motivation for Ranma, which would help him learn to skate more quickly. "An excellent idea!" he proclaimed, to both Ranma's and Akane's consternation. "I suggest that you stay here tonight and go to the rink with Akane and Ranma tomorrow. You can sleep in the room with Ranma and myself. Please, have a seat and join us."

Ranma started to growl as Ryoga smugly knelt beside him, but stopped after a moment. It occurred to him that if Ryoga were sleeping on a futon in the guest room, then he wouldn't be sleeping as a pig in Akane's room. He found that he rather liked the thought of that. So instead he concentrated on ignoring the boy beside him, hoping that he could find some way tomorrow to prove Ryoga's unsuitability.

* * *

The next day the three teenagers walked to the ice skating rink, a girl with two boys, one on either side of her. Akane was still trying to get Ryoga to explain why he felt that he should be involved when the challenge was made first to Ranma and then to her. Ryoga would only say that he felt he would be the better partner for her out of the two of them.

Ranma wasn't adding much to the conversation, since Akane already seemed to be on his side in the matter. Instead he was chewing over a bit of a puzzle. Akane was smiling, and speaking very politely to Ryoga. Yet ... for some reason, though he could spot no outward sign of it, Ranma was sure that Akane was quite irritated with Ryoga. And becoming increasingly more so with each passing minute. It didn't seem to jibe with the way he thought she felt about the guy. On the other hand, perhaps it was simply wishful thinking on his part. He looked again for any evidence to support the notion. Was there perhaps just the slightest hardness to her eyes? Or maybe an ever so tiny thinning of her lips?

Once inside the building, they rented their skates and sat down to put them on. Akane watched Ranma carefully to make sure he did it right, while Ryoga also watched Ranma carefully, to make sure that he himself was doing it right. Ryoga thought about how he had watched all of those people skating yesterday. Surely he could do what they had done?

The trio stepped through the gate and out onto the ice, with Akane's fingertips brushing Ranma's shoulder in case she had to catch him. Sure enough, his feet shot out from under him and only her quick grab kept him from taking a spill. However, neither of them mentioned the incident since both of them were too busy staring at Ryoga.

Or rather at Ryoga's butt.

Which was sticking up into the air, with his face plastered to the ice. A position he had landed in after doing a complete backward somersault. His knees had actually cracked the ice when they landed.

No word was spoken as Ryoga slowly put his hands out to either side, then equally slowly pushed his face and shoulders off of the ice, dazed. He achieved a kneeling position, put one hand behind him to grasp the wall beside the gate, lifted his left leg and put that foot down in preparation to stand.

Except that the foot shot out in front of him. With his right leg still behind, he did an involuntary split on the ice. A yip of discomfort was forced from his mouth by the unexpected extension. Ryoga yanked his legs back together, causing himself to shoot up vertically, whereupon he spun twice around his axis before toppling over. He landed on his belly with arms and legs outstretched, slowly spinning and gliding further away from the gate, until he gradually came to a stop. People all around were staring.

Ranma finally shook himself free from the spell he was under and started to laugh, only to choke it off under Akane's glare. She made sure that Ranma's hands were firmly on the wall, before she released him and skated over to Ryoga. She dropped to her knees beside the boy, who was unsure of what to do next.

"Um, Ryoga-kun ...," Akane began hesitantly. "I thought you said that you could skate."

His face, already red, deepened in color. "It didn't look that hard when I was watching everyone else do it."

Akane sighed deeply. "Come on. Let's get you out of here. I'm afraid that one novice is all that I can handle at a time." She pulled him up by an elbow and manhandled him, slipping and sliding, back to the gate. Ranma, watching their approach and not sure of Akane's intention, had already stepped through the gate and back off of the ice. A moment later Akane and Ryoga had joined him.

Akane put her hands on her hips, facing the boy who wore a sheepish expression. "Now Ryoga-kun, I don't know where this idea is coming from that you should skate in this match with me, but, well, you really do need to give up on it. You've got no more experience than Ranma and he's the one who was challenged. You ..."

Any other words she might have spoken were lost at the sound of a sudden _crack_ from above. All three teenagers looked up to see a deluge of water falling upon them from the open end of a hanging pipe. With only an instant to act, Ranma remembered that Akane, for whatever reason, had not yet told Ryoga about her curse, and figured she might find it very distressing to change into a boy without warning in front of the guy she loved. So he spun around and his foot caught Ryoga a massive blow, sending him flying, just as the change took all three. Ranma saw the pig come free from his clothes and continue on to crash through a highly placed window. The clothes and skates fell to land on top of a ceiling over the snack area.

While watching Ryoga's disappearance, Ranma had grabbed Akane's hand and they had both emerged from under the waterfall. The flow slowed and stopped as Akane wiped water from her eyes and spat out a quantity she had swallowed. She looked around and asked, "Where's Ryoga?"

Ranma shrugged. "Dunno. Guess he must have run off when the water hit us. Guess he didn't want people to see him like that."

"I doubt he's that shy." She frowned, looking down at her male form and over at Ranma who now wore her face. "Should we go find some hot water?"

Ranma tilted his head and thought as an idea occurred to him. "How about we try it like this first? Maybe the muscles in your body will remember the right moves a little. I might be able to pick it up faster like this, then remember how to do it when I switch back."

Akane hesitated only a moment and then agreed. "I can handle it if you can. But it's a good thing we dressed in our usual clothes today. Can you imagine if I was wearing the kind of uniform I'll have to wear for the competition? Everybody would think they now saw _you_ wearing that uniform, and I see a few people from our school here."

Ranma shuddered. "Let's just make sure we don't have any accidents with water during the match, then. Can you imagine having that happen in front of everybody? Gods." He shuddered some more, then looked over at the snack area. "I'm gonna go see if one of the concession people has some towels we can borrow to dry off a bit."

In the meantime, Akane was looking up at the ceiling at the hanging pipe. "Yeah, go ahead," she said absently. "Looks like there was a weld around the pipe there, and it broke. Some jerk probably sleeping on the job when he welded it." She sighed and followed Ranma toward the snack area.

A little later they were out on the ice, and Ranma was feeling much happier about things. Akane had clearly told Ryoga that she would be skating in the match with himself. Perhaps her feelings for the boy didn't run as deeply as he had believed? He had kicked Ryoga out of the building. Admittedly, he had done it for Akane's sake, but it was still nice to have him gone. Finally, he thought he really was starting to get the hang of this skating stuff. He was standing on his own without falling, and even managing a little forward motion.

Ranma cleared his throat. "Say, Akane. Why _did_ you decide to stick with me instead of pairing up with Ryoga for the match?"

He looked up into his own eyes as they narrowed into a frown. "For Pete's sake! Are _you_ going to start that now? What is with the both of you? You were the one Sanzenin challenged. Why do both of you think that Ryoga should take the match instead? Don't you believe in fighting your own duels?"

Ranma was flustered. "Well, yeah. _Heck_, yeah! O'course I do! It's just ... I thought you might prefer to team up with Ryoga instead of me for the match."

"Why?" came the aggravated response. "You and I are friends, right? We've trained together. We're the ones the Golden Twosome challenged. I barely know Ryoga."

Ranma looked down at the floor, grumbling, "That's kinda what I thought, too, but it didn't seem to stop you ... er, well, um yeah. That's right."

"Then what's the problem?" She sounded distressed, which bothered him since she was currently using his voice.

He looked up and gave Akane a sunny smile. "No problem. No problem at all. I'm looking forward to taking those two on with you next week."

He was about to say something else when he felt a sudden sense of danger. He tried to twist away, but couldn't maneuver well enough on the ice, and the breath exploded from his lungs as something impacted with his back. Ranma crashed to the ice and slid along it on his belly, looking up to see Azusa Shiratori skating past with a smug grin on her face.

"You did that on purpose!" he yelled, as Azusa braked to a stop and he continued to slide away from her.

"Sorry!" She waved good-bye, while Ranma tried to dig his fingers into the ice to stop himself.

A pair of hands grasped him under the arms and lifted him to his feet. Ranma looked over his shoulder to see the smiling face of Mikado Sanzenin.

"Are you all right? Ah, you're the young lady who owns the pig. I deeply regret how that young villain interfered before I could return your pet to you. I look forward to meeting you in our match next week. Perhaps afterward we could go out and ..."

Mikado broke off as Azusa plucked Ranma from his arms and sent the Akane look-alike spinning away. "Save your girl-chasing for later. It's time for the Assault of a Hundred Foes."

Akane caught Ranma, while wondering aloud, "The Assault of a Hundred Foes?" Ranma, who was looking in the other direction, pointed over her shoulder. Akane looked, then gasped at the sight of row after row of hockey players bearing down on them. She quickly skated off to the side.

The skaters in the front rank put on a burst of speed, raising their sticks into attack positions. Azusa and Mikado adopted what appeared to be martial arts stances, waiting for the arrival of their first opponents. The moment of contact arrived, and the Golden Pair burst into action. Simultaneously, the hockey players started exploding away from them, flying in all directions, many of them unconscious.

Nine seconds later it was done. Mikado and Azusa were once more standing in the center, serenely holding hands. Bodies littered the ice around them. One of the hockey players was shaking cobwebs out of his head, saying, "Whoa! That's why they're the Golden Pair of Martial Skating!"

Ranma's ears perked up. "Did he say ... martial skating? We ... we can win! If this is martial arts ice skating, then there's no _way_ that they can beat us!"

Akane looked down at him with a lifted eyebrow. "You don't think it might help to learn to skate first?"

Ranma gave her a smile. "Details, details! I can do it. _We_ can do it! I know we can."

Other patrons were starting to move back out onto the ice rink. A female squeal was heard back near the gate. "Oooh, how cute! A little piggy! I wonder who he belongs to?"

Ranma lowered his face into his hand. ‹Ryoga! How the hell did he find his way back so fast?›

Akane, darting her head back and forth to look between people, gave a glad cry of "P-chan!" and skated off. Ranma watched her go reluctantly. It was kind of weird, really. He could almost swear that Akane liked Ryoga better as a pig than as a human. He shook his head to rid himself of the images that was calling up.

Ryoga looked up to see the figure of Ranma bearing down on him. He started digging his hooves into the ice, trying to run, trying to get away. From behind him he heard Ranma's voice calling, "P-chan! Stop!" Funny thing, Ryoga thought - it almost sounded like his rival was _worried_ about him.

Before Akane could reach the pig, Azusa swooped in from the side and scooped him up, shrieking, "Charlotte!" In the blink of an eye she removed the bandanna from around Ryoga's neck and snapped a collar into place. Akane snatched Ryoga out of Azusa's arms, only to drop him as he bit her thumb.

Witnessing these events, Ranma sighed and decided he had better go over and try to help out. Concentrating carefully on his feet, he started moving slowly and very awkwardly in that direction. Ryoga, believing him to be Akane, began moving to meet him. Azusa, holding the key to the pig's new collar, with which she planned to taunt the other girl, followed slowly behind.

Before the meeting could take place, Ranma felt himself enveloped by a pair of arms, which swept him away across the ice. He looked up into Mikado's face once more. The boy told her, "You seem to be having some trouble maneuvering on the ice. If you will allow me, I will be happy to give you some private lessons."

Ranma snarled. "No thanks! Just leggo of me!" He tried to squirm free, unsuccessfully.

"Do you truly mean it?" Mikado said regretfully. "Such a pity. However, allow me to bestow my favor upon you before you go." His fingertips turned Ranma's face to his own.

‹Huh?› was Ranma's only thought, as he found himself looking directly into Mikado's eyes.

Then his world shattered.

There were lips on his lips. A boy's lips. On his lips. Kissing him. Another boy.

Time had stopped.

Everyone in the rink was watching the kiss. Azusa with lips pursed together. Akane, stunned, as she had been approaching them. Ryoga, crushed, thinking that some other boy was kissing Akane.

Time started again.

Ranma screamed, shoving Mikado away hard enough that the boy fell on his rump. Somehow, despite his lack of skill, Ranma made it to the gate, still yelling, his eyes hidden behind a forearm.

Akane was feeling furious, both for Ranma's sake and her own. That _jerk_ thought he had kissed _her_. Her head swiveled back and forth, trying to decide between killing Mikado or going after her friend, who was obviously troubled. With difficulty the latter impulse won, and she took off after Ranma.

Ryoga was furious also. This _pervert_ had kissed _Akane_! It was unbearable! He somehow found some traction on the ice, built up a decent turn of speed, then launched himself. Mikado found himself at the center of a storm of flashing hooves and chomping teeth. "Will someone help get this beast off of me?!"

Ranma ran into the men's locker room, stymieing Akane's attempt to follow. Not because of her current gender, but because she had no intention of entering a room full of undressed men. It took only a moment's thought to guess why Ranma had gone in there. ‹No. He wouldn't. He wouldn't undress, in front of them, in _my_ body! He ... dammit. He's going to. Ranma, I'll get you for this. Later. Sanzenin first!›

Not wanting anyone to see twin Ranma's, Akane turned aside, ran over to the snack area, and begged a cup of hot water. Although in truth begging wasn't necessary. One look at the lightning flashing in her eyes and the boy behind the counter wasn't _about_ to refuse the strange guy's request. Finding a private nook, Akane changed her gender back to female. She returned to the locker room just in time to see Ranma storm back out, battle aura blazing around him. The expression on his face was murderous.

Akane asked, "Are you all right?"

He turned a look of agony upon her. He spoke through clenched teeth. "No. But I will be. As soon as I hurt someone."

Akane nodded, allowing the fury to overwhelm her at last. "Right! Let's go kill that pervert!"

Ranma ran back to the rink, Akane right on his heels. When they ran out onto the ice, everyone in the rink pulled back in fright. Twin voices shouted out, "Sanzenin!"

Mikado paused in his struggle to look up at the pair facing him. Ryoga paused, his teeth clamped on a forearm, and felt a frisson run along his spine at the look in both Ranma's and Akane's eyes. Off to the side, Azusa looked on in interest, preparing to be entertained.

"How dare you try to kiss me?" Akane screamed. "Die, pervert!" She skated toward him at high speed. Mikado started skating backward away from her, watching curiously. He was unsure of why the pig had leaped away, but he had no wish to fight the girl he had just kissed.

"Sanzenin!" Ranma yelled again. "Don't think you're going to get away! For the first time in my life, I'm _really_ mad!" With the last word his fist came down onto the surface of the ice, shattering it. A long crack spread outward from Ranma and ran behind Sanzenin, causing him to trip as he continued skating backward away from Akane. The latter took advantage of his spill to fetch him a blow which sent Mikado flying into the wall.

As he bounced off, Mikado managed to land back on his feet. To Akane he said, "My dear, there's no need to hide your true feelings like that. A demure shyness would be much more befitting." He turned toward Ranma. "As for you, I don't know what your problem is, but for the sin of damaging the rink, you must perish! Prepare yourself!"

"Oh, I'm ready!" Ranma shouted. Emitting a loud, meaningless yell, he leaped through the air at Mikado. The teenage skater watched his approach, then slid casually to the side at the last second. Ranma crashed face first into the ice, smashing a crater in the rink.

Mikado turned away with a chuckle. "Tsk tsk. The fool. Going straight to a suicide strike like ... Oof!" He went sliding across the ice himself, face first, until his head crashed into the wall. He had forgotten about Akane, who was more than happy to take advantage of his distraction to deliver the kick which had taken him down.

He climbed back to his feet slowly, only to have his chin meet Ranma's fist with crunching force. Mikado spun around from the blow, although Ranma also lost his footing and hit the wall.

"Enough!" Mikado shouted, climbing to his feet once more. "I don't like using this technique on a beginner, but you have earned my wrath!" He slid further out onto the ice, then started to spin. Undeterred, Ranma skated straight toward him.

"Oh! The unbeatable Dance of Death! Sanzenin's won now for sure!"

Akane looked to the side. The speaker was one of the hockey players who had taken part in the earlier assault. She turned back quickly, wondering what kind of move it was, and whether she could do anything more to help Ranma.

When Ranma reached Mikado, the two of them spun into a blur which most eyes there could not pick apart. Akane's eyes widened as her trained eyes managed to follow their moves, seeing the blows which took place. She started counting rapidly. "1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 10 ... 32 ..."

Spectators were sagely commenting on Mikado's victory. "No one's ever escaped that spin before." "Sanzenin has him completely at his mercy." "This is truly a dance of death."

Suddenly Ranma came flying out of the spin to land heavily on the ice. "It's all over," someone said. Mikado's spin gradually rotated to a stop.

Akane skated over to where Ranma lay. "Can you get up?" she whispered. "Do you need any help?"

There was a slight groan. "I think ... I can manage." With a shove he somersaulted up into the air, only to land on his back again.

Akane sighed. "Better let me help." She took his elbow, bringing Ranma up to his feet, more or less. She skated toward the gate, where she picked up P-chan with her other arm.

Azusa skated up to them. "By the way, you'll need my key to get the collar off of Charlotte. And you'll need to win the match to get the key."

"We'll win," Akane growled.

Azusa looked at Ranma. "I admit I'm impressed. He's still conscious. I guess it was a draw."

Akane's answer was smug, though she didn't bother to smile. "Nope. Ranma won." She walked out without looking back.

Azusa turned to regard Mikado speculatively. He hadn't moved yet. She skated over and poked him, getting no response. With a broad grin, she pulled out a marking pen and sketched whiskers on his cheeks.

This drew a crowd. "Hey! He's unconscious! Can I doodle something?" "Can I?" "Me too! Me too!"

Outside the rink, Akane was saying, "Why were you so merciful? Surely you could have hit him a lot more than five hundred eighteen times?"

"Hmmph!" Ranma snorted. "I ain't finished with him yet! We still got that match next week. I don't want him trying to claim he's too injured to fight then."

Akane was silent for a moment. "I suppose you have a point. But you'd better let me get in some more blows of my own! After all, that pervert thought he was kissing me! And everybody else thinks that's what they saw! Why didn't you stop him?"

Ranma turned another agonized look on her, and she sucked in her breath, apologizing immediately. "I'm sorry. It's just, I'm upset too. But I know it was ... worse for you. I wish it hadn't happened."

"That makes two of us."

Akane sighed. "We'd better practice at a different rink starting tomorrow. Right now, let's get home and have dinner." She lifted her pet up until his snout was in front of her nose. "How about it P-chan? Are you hungry for your dinner? I was thinking we could maybe mix two of the flavors together tonight, what do you say? And I could put some chocolate sauce on top. How about that?"

Ryoga was suddenly reminded of why he didn't want to be present at the Tendo home as P-chan at mealtimes. As he was only held by one arm at the moment, it was quite easy to break free and run off down the road. A forlorn cry of "P-chan" followed him, but he hardened his heart against it. With luck he could find something to eat somewhere else, then find his way back to the Tendo's before bedtime. After that, he could go to sleep beside Akane in her bed, and dream ...

After a few minutes of looking and calling, Akane had to concede that her pet had vanished. It was just one more bit of unpleasantness to add to the day. Both of them feeling depressed, Akane and Ranma made their way home where they found dinner already in the process of being put on the table. Neither spoke about events at the rink, and they ignored inquiries from the others about their gloominess.

After dinner, Akane and Ranma were supposed to meet for a training session out in the dojo. Ranma got out there first, and as he paced back and forth he realized that he was too unfocused, that he had to try to regain his balance. He sat down cross-legged on the floor in front of the shrine to meditate.

He was a boy! A boy! Despite his curse, despite the fact that physically he was sometimes female, he was always male inside where it counted! To have another boy kiss him, do anything like that to him, was deeply, deeply disturbing. He could still feel the pressure of Mikado's lips on his own, and it disgusted him. It wasn't something he was easily going to forget.

The only redeeming fact in the mess was that it wasn't his first kiss. If it had been, Ranma didn't think he'd be able to handle this at all. With a warm feeling inside, he called up the memory of that first kiss. Standing over Akane's frail form in the hospital, pressing his lips against hers, the sensation of a slight return pressure from her lips as life returned to her body. The more he concentrated on it, the more the ugly incident with Sanzenin faded into the background.

A sudden shove almost sent him tumbling forward. "Honestly, your back's wide open," complained Akane. "It's no wonder Sanzenin caught you so easily today."

Ranma didn't look at her. "Did you come in here to tease me?"

Akane sighed. "No. It's time for our training session, remember? Besides, I brought the first aid kit. We didn't take time to patch you up before dinner, and I thought you might like something to be put on a few of those scrapes on your face." She came around to his front, put the box down on the floor, and opened it.

Ranma suffered her to put on some ointment and a few band-aids. "Is ... is everyone laughing about what happened to me?"

"No," Akane answered. "So far as I know, they don't know about it yet. I haven't told them, anyway. Nabiki will probably know soon. It's lucky that she's changed, or she'd probably charge you to keep quiet about it."

"Feh," Ranma grunted. "I don't care. Not really. At least it wasn't my first kiss." He suddenly blushed, thinking about who had been on the other side of that first kiss, wishing that he could call the words back.

Akane blushed as well. To cover up her embarrassment, she teased, "Really though. How could you let him kiss you so easily? You're supposed to be this great martial artist, but you couldn't stop him from doing that?"

"I suppose you would've done better?" Ranma asked.

Akane answered confidently, "Of course."

With a startled "Eek!" Akane found herself in Ranma's lap. Her mind was able to replay the moves that Ranma had used to place her there, but they had taken place too quickly for her to react. She looked up to see Ranma's eyes just a couple of centimeters from her own eyes, his mouth equally close to her mouth. She tried to swallow but couldn't, her mouth gone unaccountably dry.

"R-Ranma?" she whispered.

With a startled jerk, Ranma opened his arms, releasing her, leaping back. Akane jumped away just as quickly, heart thumping erratically. Had he really been about to kiss her? He wouldn't have dared! Would he?

Ranma was yelling at himself inside his head. ‹What are you doing? Have you gone nuts? Were you really gonna kiss Akane! You're just friends! She loves Ryoga, remember? Dammit, is that what this is all about? Are you so pissed off that she could find Ryoga attractive, that you'd try to force her to kiss you to try to prove that you're better? Is that the kind of guy you are?›

Trying to repair the situation, Ranma bleated, "Don't get the wrong idea. I wasn't really gonna kiss you or nothing."

Akane didn't know what to think about that response. Did he mean that he didn't think she was worth kissing? Or that it just wouldn't have been right? Did he want to, but was stopping himself? Or did he not want to? And which answer did she want? No, they were just friends. Just friends. Not fiancés. That was their fathers' idea.

She'd been staring at him frozen too long. He might get the wrong idea. She had to make sure he knew that this wasn't affecting her. "I ... I know. Of course you wouldn't. You wouldn't dare."

"Oh yeah?" Ranma's eyes darkened, as he seriously considered showing her that he _would_ dare. Then he thought about Ryoga again. He turned away, not looking at her. "You know what? You're right. I wouldn't dare. Not under the circumstances. Not when there's ... it wouldn't be right. Maybe if things were different. But they're not."

The pigtailed boy scrambled to his feet. "Sorry, Akane. I don't think I can train with you tonight. Y'need to be focused for training, and ... I'm about as far from focused as I can be right now. I'll make it up to you tomorrow night. I promise." He walked quickly out of the dojo, leaving the surprised girl sitting there, staring after him. Wondering what had gone wrong. Certain that there was more to it than Sanzenin's kiss.

* * *

That night Ranma dreamed that he was sitting in the dojo, beside Akane, looking her in the eyes from up close, his fingertips brushing along her cheek. There was acceptance there, in her eyes, desire even. Desire for him. He could feel it coming from her, a wish, a wanting to do this. Gently he pressed his lips to hers. His heart raced. His blood sang.

Gently she pressed her lips back against his. The kiss was sweet, and soft, and much better than the time in the hospital. Akane felt like she was on fire and melting at the same time. She drew back and looked Ranma in the eyes, seeing within them how much he wanted this. She pressed her lips to his once more.

Somewhere outdoors a dog knocked over a trash can, with a shattering clatter which seemed to go on for several seconds. Inside the house, two teenagers sat up in bed, startled into wakefulness, regretful to find that they had only been dreaming. In two different bedrooms, each lifted a hand, fingertips tracing identically across lips, remembering the feeling of a kiss.

* * *

**Author's note:**

Stay tuned for chapter 6, "Talk to Me." Ranma and Akane train for the skating match, and we look in on how Shampoo's search is going.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	6. Talk to Me

**Side by Side  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Sequel to _Togetherness_. Alternate universe story in which Ranma and Akane are cursed to change into duplicates of one another.

* * *

**Chapter 6. Talk to Me**

Breakfast the morning after their skating adventure was incredibly awkward for both teenagers. Every time Ranma accidentally caught sight of Akane out of the corner of his eye, he would blush in recollection of the dream from which he had awakened in the middle of the night. The memory was so intense that he felt almost as if he really had been kissing Akane. The only option he could think of to avoid further embarrassment was to keep his eyes locked on the bowl of rice in front of him, save for the occasional deflection of his father's chopsticks as they attempted to get into the bowl.

Ranma was so intent on not seeing Akane that he completely missed the difficulty she was having with her attempt not to see him. The dream had been so real, so vivid, that she could still feel the pressure of his lips on hers. Akane knew the only reason she'd had such a dream was because of the way she'd practically dared Ranma to kiss her in the dojo. But it didn't matter. Knowing the reason didn't make it any easier to sit quietly beside him and eat normally.

Soun, behind his newspaper, and Genma, busy trying to get more than his fair share of the available food, primarily from Ranma's bowl, did not notice this interaction between the two. Or rather, lack of interaction. Kasumi and Nabiki definitely did, but neither said anything. They were unsure what had caused the rift between the two friends, or even if it was a rift. Ranma had seemed troubled last night at dinner, but their sister had seemed to be only slightly agitated, and neither he nor Akane had tried to ignore the other during the meal. Without knowing the cause, it was hard to know what was safe to say about it.

Ranma and Akane were both equally glad when breakfast wound down, as it meant that they could get back to training. Martial arts workouts were a familiar setting, where they understood their roles, understood what was expected of them. Ranma, for one, figured this would finally help him to get his mind off of that dream.

"Yo, Akane. You ready to do some more fence work?"

The girl beside him gratefully lay her chopsticks down alongside her bowl. "Sure. Running again?"

Ranma gave her a wicked grin. "We're gonna throw in some dodging today. Every so often, I'm gonna throw a punch or kick your way. Don't try to block today. Just dodge. Without falling off the fence of course. Or getting hit."

Akane matched his grin. "You got it."

Since they were already dressed for exercising, the two jumped up from the table and ran out the door. Genma promptly finished off the food that was left, while Kasumi smiled serenely after the pair and Soun remained buried in his newspaper. Nabiki stared at the doorway through which her younger sister had disappeared, shaking her head slightly. She loved Akane dearly, but she'd never understand how those two could get so excited over something as difficult as fighting while running atop a thin fence.

* * *

After falling for the third time, Akane climbed back to her feet and saw they had circled around and weren't far from home. She was ready for something different. Turning her face upward she suggested, "Hey, you ready for some ice skating practice now?"

Ranma thought about it and nodded. "Sure." They ran home and grabbed a gym bag containing a couple of thermoses and a few other things. Taking time only to fill a thermos with hot water, they took off again, aiming for the alternate skating arena Akane had selected.

As they approached the building Ranma hesitated before going in, gazing around suspiciously. "You sure Sanzenin won't show up at this rink?" he asked, holding back at the door.

"Now how could I possibly know?" Akane answered reasonably. "But they did that Hundred Foes business at the other rink, which probably means they use that one most of the time. Since this one is further from Kolkhoz High School than the other, it should be safe enough."

"Guess so," Ranma said uneasily, allowing himself to be coaxed inside. "It's just, I was thinking of switching places with you again, for a while. Then switching back. It seemed to be working yesterday. I'm sure I was learning faster when I was in your form. But I don't wanna risk it if there's any chance of Sanzenin showing up."

Akane smirked, guessing all too easily what the boy's problem was. "Like I said, I think you're safe," she responded, trying to sound reassuring and almost succeeding. It was funny to think of the macho Ranma being worried about a common masher. Then her mood changed as she recalled what said masher had done. Her demeanor more serious, Akane added, "And I guess I'm okay with switching places for a while. I was thinking, if we can get to the point where you're moving well enough today or tomorrow, we could invite Hiroshi to start practicing with us. From what I saw the other day, he really is pretty good. He can give us a target to work out against."

"He ain't a martial artist," Ranma objected.

"I know, but it's better than nothing. At least it would give us a person to aim at, someone who's moving around on the ice."

"Yeah, okay. I'll talk to him Monday. See if he'll join us after school."

"Sounds good." Akane unzipped her bag and reached into it, pulling out a spare thermos, one they hadn't filled. "In that case, how about you take this into the restroom and get us some cold water. I think we can change over in that corner where the bleachers are folded up."

* * *

"Excuse me, sir, I wonder if you can help me? I'm looking for a skating rink with a blue and white sign over the door."

The shopkeeper looked the boy in front of him up and down. Dusty, wearing a large pack on his back. Not the sort you'd expect to see going ice skating. The canine which protruded slightly over his lower lip tended to draw the eye. Not someone to play practical jokes on either.

"Sorry. As far as I know we only have one skating rink in town, and it doesn't have a blue and white sign. Are you sure you're not remembering someplace else?"

Ryoga flushed. "Well ... I'm pretty sure it's in Nerima."

"Nerima?" the man repeated, dumbfounded. "You mean in Tokyo? Why the hell would you be looking for it here?"

"Are you telling me I'm not in Tokyo?" the boy asked, confused.

The man stared, certain at first that this was a put-on, but gradually coming to the uneasy conviction that the lad in front of him was serious. He pointed off to the side. "You see that road? Follow it for about two hundred fifty kilometers and you'll be in Tokyo."

"Oh. Thanks." Ryoga bowed and walked off in the direction indicated. He hadn't gone very far however when he decided that he was hungry. Seeing that he was passing in front of a ramen restaurant, he decided to go in and get something to eat. A few minutes later he was sitting at a table inside with a steaming bowl of noodles, slurping them down.

‹Come to think of it,› Ryoga thought to himself, ‹I should have asked about the Tendo home instead of the skating rink. Even if I find my way to the rink, they might not be there. But I can wait for 'em at the house even if they're not home when I arrive.›

When he finished his meal, the young martial artist looked around to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything. Looking up at the door, it suddenly occurred to him that he no longer remembered whether he should turn left or right on leaving. Too accustomed to such situations to feel embarrassed, he waved the waitress back over to his table. She came over and looked at him curiously.

Ryoga felt like his collar was tightening. The girl was rather cute, especially the way she was looking at him, waiting for him to speak. "Ah, ah, I'm trying to get to Nerima, in Tokyo, to meet a friend of mine. Named Ranma Saotome. At the Tendo dojo. He's ..." The boy managed to grind to a halt, aware that he was babbling. "Er, sorry. I just wonder if you can tell me which way to turn down the road outside to get to Tokyo."

The waitress was very puzzled but answered gamely. "Turn right, then go about two hundred fifty kilometers. Are you sure you wouldn't rather have directions to the train station?"

"Heh heh. No, uh, thanks. I'm, um, used to walking."

The girl raised her eyebrows, but walked off without saying anything else. As soon as she stepped away from the table, another customer who had been sitting in the booth behind Ryoga got up and came around to his booth. She sat down across the table from him without waiting for an invitation.

If the waitress had flustered Ryoga, this girl nearly made him panic. She was stunningly beautiful, wearing a thin silk outfit, with very long hair dyed purple. She was also Chinese, but that didn't particularly bother Ryoga. He was just as tongue-tied whether a girl was Japanese, Chinese, Korean, American, Russian or, in one memorable instance, Panamanian.

The girl sitting across from him didn't bandy words. "Shampoo hear you talk. You know Ranma Saotome?"

The young woman studied the boy whom she had joined. Tall, strong, tough. He had the look of a martial artist. He also seemed accustomed to travel, with the pack in the seat beside him, and covered with road dust as he was. Not too bad looking. The tip of one tooth was protruding slightly on one side of his mouth, somewhat ruining his tough guy image. It made him look adorably cute, like a yeti doll she had once owned as a little girl. She hoped he wasn't Ranma's boyfriend or anything more serious. Otherwise she'd be breaking his heart when she killed Ranma.

Ryoga was feeling confused again. "Uh, yeah, I know Ranma. Do you? And what did you mean about the shampoo? How can shampoo hear something? You know, it's a liquid, in a bottle?"

The Chinese girl pursed her lips, vaguely disgusted. Japanese was such a silly language. "I Shampoo. Is name. Need to find Ranma Saotome."

Ryoga realized that the girl, who was apparently named for a hair care product, was having trouble speaking Japanese. So he switched languages. "Would you rather speak Mandarin?"

Shampoo looked vastly relieved. "Oh, yes please! I'm afraid I don't know Japanese as well as I thought I did, but that's all anyone around here seems to speak. As I said, I'm looking for Ranma Saotome. Do you know where to find her?"

‹Her?› Ryoga thought.

"Um, yes. I know where Ranma is, more or less. Can I ask how you know Ranma? Why are you looking for hi... her?"

Shampoo thought carefully about how to answer this. If the boy was a friend to Ranma, or anything more intimate, then he likely would not react well to the notion of hunting her down to kill her. On the other hand, she might not be able to carry off a pretense of friendship, and it would feel dishonorable as well. Instead she decided to give him an abbreviated description, and hope that he understood matters of honor related to martial arts challenges.

"Ranma and I had a ... contest, in my home village. You understand, a martial arts challenge? Ranma ... won, leaving me shamed. I need to try to erase the shame. I'm looking for her so that I can challenge her again, and try to redeem my honor. I cannot go home until I have done so."

Shampoo sighed heavily. "I lost the trail after Ranma returned to Japan. I've found a few hints, mostly thanks to her pet panda bear, but it's been taking so long! If you know where she is, won't you please help me find her?" Making use of one of her more potent weapons, the Chinese girl clasped her hands under her bosom and batted her eyelashes prettily.

Ryoga gave the girl the once over, raising an eyebrow, trying to picture her fighting Ranma Saotome. The picture kept ending one of two ways - either Ranma broke her into pieces, or he ignored her attack while laughing at her. The idea that she could pose a serious threat was pretty far-fetched.

"Er, you do know that Ranma is pretty darn good, don't you?" Ryoga said dubiously.

Shampoo flushed, angered, but trying not to show how much. "Yes, I know. I'm the village champion, but she still beat me. I underestimated her, and I had already fought several matches earlier that day. But I've trained to be a warrior of the Joketsuzoku all of my life! I'm 'pretty darn good' myself! I can beat this Ranma. I just have to find her first."

Ryoga eyed her speculatively, with new interest. He had heard a couple of rumors about the Joketsuzoku while he was over near the never to be sufficiently damned Jusenkyo valley. Everyone agreed that they were supposed to be very good. If Shampoo was the village champion, maybe she could at least give Ranma a fight. If she wore him down a bit first, it might make it all the easier to beat him, himself, afterward.

The boy with the bandanna allowed a grin to spread across his face. "If you can beat Ranma, I promise that I'll stand there and cheer you on. Thanks to hi... her, my life is hell! Personally, I'd like to see every bone in ... her ... body broken, and I really wouldn't object to anything fatal. Except that I'd really like to take care of anything fatal myself. So if you want a little help finding Ranma, I'll be more than happy to give it to you."

Shampoo stared at Ryoga, having a little trouble believing what she had just heard. "You ... want to kill Ranma?"

Ryoga nodded his head. "Like I said, _she's_ made my life hell."

Shampoo gave a little smile, with an accompanying gleam in her eye. "I'm afraid I didn't tell you the whole truth earlier. I can only erase my shame by killing Ranma. I've sworn an oath to do so."

Ryoga's grin wavered, then settled in place again. While he was more than ready to declare his own intention to kill Ranma, it was unexpectedly unsettling to hear someone else do so. "That's great!" he forced himself to reply. "Ranma's staying with a family by the name of Tendo, in Nerima. That's part of Tokyo. I'm heading there now. Want to come with me?"

Shampoo nodded, still smiling. "Sounds good to me. Lead the way." Inside, she was feeling a measure of relief. If this boy were to kill Ranma first, then Ranma would be dead and she herself could suffer no further shame for failing to kill a corpse. She'd be able to return to the village, her oath resolved if not precisely redeemed. It seemed that this was her lucky day.

"By the way," the boy said to her as they stood up and prepared to leave. "My name's Ryoga. Ryoga Hibiki."

Shampoo tested the name on her tongue. "Ryoga. It suits you. It's a good, strong name." Together they walked out the door of the restaurant and turned left.

* * *

The volleyball game during gym class had been a lot of fun, but Akane's thoughts were now far away, making plans for after school. As she dropped the towel and picked up her tap pants to start getting dressed, she was thinking about the ice skating training she and Ranma would do that afternoon. He was really coming along, beginning to look like a real skater, though still definitely an amateur.

Just as she lifted her leg there was a loud screech, causing Akane to half stumble as she looked up to find the source. It was apparently in the next row of lockers, as several other girls ran over to find out what was happening. Putting the pants back down and grabbing a towel in case she had to cover herself, Akane also went to investigate.

As she turned the corner around the lockers, Akane was startled to see a girl running right toward her, laughing. There was another girl behind her holding a pail, and with a heave a cascade of water came flying toward them both. Akane gave a whimpered "Eep!" and jumped back behind the lockers. Except that some of the water came right over the top and she watched in dismay as her body changed to male.

A naked male. Holding only a towel.

She tried to cover her front with the towel and ran for where she'd left her clothes. However, she changed her mind immediately as she realized she couldn't stand there as a boy while pulling on clothes, so she turned her running feet toward the showers and hot water instead. She tried to ignore the others around her, focused entirely on the showers in front of her, not thinking how she was to change back without being seen.

All of the girls in the locker room were screaming. Pointing. Trying to cover themselves.

"Eeek!"

"It's a boy!"

"He's not wearing anything!" This one shouted a bit breathlessly.

"It's Ranma!"

"He's a pervert!"

There was a girl standing in front of the entrance to the showers, looking scared and furious at the same time. However, Akane wasn't really paying much attention to her expression, concentrating instead on her plan to duck around the girl and into the showers. The girl in front of Akane stood her ground, chin quivering, a look of determination firming in her eyes. Just as Akane reached her and prepared to dart past, the girl's foot kicked up with deadly accuracy. Akane's world dissolved in a crescendo of pain, as she folded forward clutching at her groin and fell to the floor with an agonized whoop.

Some other girls who weren't quite so undressed ran up and started pummeling Akane with whatever they could get their hands on - shoes, volleyballs, a couple of mops. Wrapped up around the pain between her legs, she only half-heartedly attempted to deflect these blows with her arms. The towel, no longer held in place, slipped off.

Yuka, standing back from the action, whispered to Sayuri, "You know who that must be, don't you?"

Sayuri nodded. "Yeah, but what can we do? Akane doesn't want people to know about the curse."

"We've got to do _something_. Come on." Yuka ran over in her underwear and grabbed a mop before it could swing down again.

"I think that's enough!" she told everyone loudly. "He's learned his lesson. Let him run away."

"No!" one of the other girls shouted. "Give him more!"

"When are you gonna stop?" Yuka called back. "After you kill him?"

This question made some of the girls hesitate. Despite the pain, Akane recognized the opportunity. She managed to push up to her knees and spotted the towel through her tears. She grabbed it and stumbled to her feet, wrapping the towel clumsily around her middle as she lurched away. Knowing that sticking around was hopeless, she ran for the door and escaped, trying to adjust the towel more securely as she went.

‹Oh God!› Akane bounced off a wall as she ran down the hall. She passed a couple of students who stared after her. ‹Ow! Ow! Ow! Where do I go? I can't change back until I have more than this towel. ... Ranma. He just finished gym too. The boys' locker room.› The thought made her shudder, but she didn't have much choice.

When she rounded the corner before the entrance to the boys' locker room, Akane saw two boys standing there, whom she quickly identified as Hiroshi and Daisuke. A moment later she realized that this was an immense stroke of luck, only short of Ranma himself being there, as both of them already knew about the curse.

Hiroshi looked up at the sound of bare feet slapping on the floor. "Ranma?" He looked back toward the locker room door. "But ..."

"Please get Ranma," Akane hissed.

Daisuke looked at her in confusion, which then cleared away accompanied by raised eyebrows. "Wait. Are you Akane?"

"Of course I am, idiot!" she shouted in a whisper. Grabbing his shoulder, she shoved him toward the door. "Get Ranma! Hurry!"

A moment later a flustered Ranma emerged from the locker room, with his arm being tugged by Daisuke. "Now what the hell ... Akane?"

His twin looked down at the floor. "Yeah. I ... kinda had an accident in the locker room. Can you get me something to wear so I can go back in there and get my clothes?"

Ranma thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Aside from what I'm wearing, all I could get you are boy's clothes. I don't think you wanna wear that into the girls' locker room. Could raise a lot of questions."

Akane's fists clenched, but another idea occurred to her, causing her to briefly snort. She looked up, her mouth twisted. "Okay. Then could you please change into a girl and go in there and get my clothes?" Noticing that Hiroshi's and Daisuke's eyes were starting to glaze at this suggestion, she added more loudly, "_After_ the other girls leave of course!"

Ranma wasn't happy about the idea, but agreed nonetheless. "Yeah, I guess." Looking around to make sure they were still unobserved, he stepped over to a water fountain and splashed himself. Turning back around, now wearing Akane's face, he suggested, "You'd better go hide in the restroom over there till I get back. Not the locker room. Too many people in there already saw me with my clothes on."

Akane nodded and did so. Ranma trudged off toward the girls' locker room.

When he got there, Ranma saw several girls standing around outside the locker room, looking upset. One of the girls called out, "Akane! Where were you?"

Shaking his head rather than answering, Ranma spotted Sayuri among the crowd and waved her over. They walked a little distance down the hall, where they could whisper without being overheard.

"Where'd you find the clothes, Akane?" Sayuri asked.

"It's me. Ranma." The girl beside him gave a gasp, then nodded her comprehension. Ranma explained, "Akane asked me to come get her clothes. But as long as you're here, maybe you can save me the trouble of waiting until the locker room is empty and then going in. Could you get her clothes for me?"

Sayuri looked back over her shoulder before returning her gaze to Ranma and answering, "Yeah, okay. Wait here. I'll be back in a few minutes." She hesitated before leaving, and gave him another look over her shoulder, eyebrows raised and lips grinning mischievously. "We got a pretty good look at Akane in your body. Not bad. Not bad at all." She left quickly, chuckling, before he could think of a response.

She was as good as her word, returning less than five minutes later carrying a cloth gym bag. She handed it over without a word, then watched with her lower lip caught between her teeth as Ranma jogged away down the hall.

Ranma peeked into the bag to make sure he had the right stuff, then closed it hurriedly while blushing hugely. He hadn't counted on Akane's bra and underpants being right on top. Turning the last corner, he thrust the bag into Daisuke's hands, who took it into the restroom and came back out immediately. A minute later Akane emerged, still male, but now fully dressed.

"Okay, that's done," Ranma said, clearly relieved. "Can we see about switching back now?"

"Uh ..." Akane temporized. Truth was, she was a little worried that Ranma might catch some grief from some of the girls before they could get away from school, and was feeling guilty about it. "Can we, uh, wait 'til we get home? I just want to get out of here."

Ranma shrugged. He'd been putting in a fair bit of time at the skating rink wearing Akane's body. He figured the walk home wouldn't be any problem if Akane didn't want to waste time finding hot water first. "Okay then, let's go. We need to get over to the rink. I wanna make sure I'm ready on Thursday. Hiroshi, you're joining us today, right?"

Ranma had made this request during lunch. The other boy nodded. "Yeah, I'll be there."

"Great. See you guys." He and Akane took off. Ranma caught sight of a few girls glaring at them as they passed, although after the fourth or fifth one he realized it was Akane they were glaring at. Shrugging the matter aside for the time being, he ran on.

* * *

Shampoo walked up to the man who was filling his truck with gasoline at the isolated service station, the only building visible before the road vanished over hills in either direction. He had an indefinable look about him that said "farmer," which made her more comfortable than the urban dwellers she had more frequently encountered in this country. The man gave her a look up and down as she expected, and smiled.

"Could you please tell how far is Tokyo?"

The man couldn't help raising his eyebrows at the pretty girl on foot asking such a question. He pointed down the road, feeling a twinge of regret that it was the direction opposite of the one in which he was going. On the other hand, maybe that was all for the best, to judge from the muscular boy behind her wearing a monstrous backpack.

"You head down the road that way about thirty kilometers, till you come to a highway. Turn right, and go another two hundred seventy kilometers, and that should bring you to the outskirts of Tokyo."

Shampoo stared in disbelief, as one of these numbers was too large even before she added them together. "You certain?"

The eyebrows lifted even higher. "Absolutely."

The man's eyes blinked. Somehow the Chinese girl was holding a huge mace, and he released the pump handle, backing away hurriedly. "It's not my fault! I can't help how far it is to Tokyo!"

He had nothing to fear. Shampoo swung around, and would have taken Ryoga's head off if his instincts hadn't caused him to leap backward an instant earlier.

"What are you doing?" Shampoo screamed in Mandarin. "You said you wanted to kill Ranma. Why are you leading me away from her?"

"I'm not!" Ryoga yelled back, dodging further blows. "I'm taking you to Tokyo, just like I said!"

"You lie! It's been two days, and we're farther away than when we started! Why are you keeping me from Ranma!"

Ryoga ducked and rolled. "It's not my fault! I do want Ranma dead! I'm trying to get us to Tokyo! I just ... well, we seem to have gone the wrong way! It was an accident!"

"Some accident! You did it on purpose! Hold still, stop hopping around and dodging! Are you a man or a rabbit?"

Both the customer and the service station attendant watched the teenage couple disappear into the woods, with the girl apparently intent on killing the boy. Neither one fancied risking his own neck by interfering. The farmer quickly finished putting gas in his truck and drove off. The attendant decided to close a little early, and left as well.

Shampoo's chui brought down a tree that Ryoga had ducked behind. He swore and shouted, "Will you at least let me explain?"

"What's to explain? You betrayed me!" Shampoo yelled. "You're going to learn what I do to traitors!"

"I didn't betray you!" He jumped up onto a small rocky outcropping. "Just listen!"

Shampoo looked up at the boy more than a meter above the reach of her weapon. The ledge on which he stood was only large enough for one person. Her training argued against throwing her weapon at him, which would risk disarming herself. Panting a little, she snarled, "You have to come down from there sometime!"

"I like it up here just fine for the moment," he answered, calming as the crazed girl below seemed to hold back from attacking. "Can I talk now?"

Shampoo cast her eye on the ground around her, seeking something heavy she could throw. "I'm not interested in talking!"

Ryoga grabbed his hair with his hands, then sighed, releasing his grip. "Look! I hate telling people this, but ... I get lost sort of easy."

"Lost!" Shampoo bit the word off. "You took us fifty kilometers _further_ away in two days! Away from _Tokyo_, the _capital_ of your country."

"Okay, so I get lost _extremely_ easily. It's not like I want to!"

Shampoo lifted her eyes to gaze at him warily. "You _can't_ be serious."

Ryoga nodded, looking down, ashamed. "I was in Tokyo on Friday. I ... ran off, shortly before dinnertime. I only intended to go a few blocks. I was going to get something to eat, then head back to the Tendo home. But I lost my way. You met me the next day, when I was trying to find my way back."

"That's crazy!" the Chinese girl protested. "You were _two hundred and fifty_ kilometers away from Tokyo! _No_ one can get that lost!"

"I can," Ryoga grumbled softly. "How do you think we ended up farther away? Oh, that's right. You think I did it on purpose. I wish. At least if I had, I'd know where I was going."

Shampoo stared blankly for a moment. Then she pointed out, reasonably in her opinion, "If you don't know where you're going, then why did you offer to take me there?"

Ryoga spread his arms. "I always get to where I'm going eventually. Sometimes it just takes a while."

Shampoo put the ball of her chui on the ground and leaned on it, covering her face with her other hand. She seriously considered walking off and leaving the boy to stay lost. However, it was nice having someone in this foreign land who could talk to her in a civilized language, and he could talk to the natives and understand them. She looked around, then back up at Ryoga.

"We'll camp here tonight. Tomorrow _I_ take the lead. Understand?"

Ryoga hopped down, still watching her weapon carefully. "Yeah, I understand. Look, I'm ... uh, sorry. Okay?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Shampoo growled. She walked over and sat on a large rock. "You can make it up to me by setting up camp by yourself."

At least that was something he was very good at, having had a great deal of experience. In fairly short order, the wayward boy had the campsite prepared, with the tent set up and a pot of stew cooking over a fire. The water came from a nearby stream, which seemed to be relatively clean, at least after it was boiled and an iodine tablet was added. When Ryoga tested the stew and found that it was done, he motioned Shampoo to come over and join him.

The Chinese girl came over, sniffing the aroma. At the last moment she pulled out a mace and swung, knocking Ryoga through the air. "You can eat after I'm finished," she announced, watching his trajectory, smirking as he splashed down into the stream. The smile vanished as the boy disappeared, his clothes floating down the stream.

"Wh-wh-what?" Shampoo stuttered. She walked over to the stream and fished the clothes out with a stick, holding them away from her as if they held a contagious disease.

With a splash she saw a little black pig pull itself out of the stream and onto the bank. It shook itself, and the girl wondered if such pigs were common in the area. Then she saw the collar which decidedly did not belong on a wild animal. Her eyes narrowed. There was something familiar about that collar.

The pig trudged over into the camp. It stopped beside the pot of stew, then put one of its hooves up on the pot, nudging it. Both front hooves were able to make it swing a little, but achieved nothing more, and the pig almost fell into the fire.

Shampoo looked around the stream a little longer, but saw no sign of her companion of the last two days. She carried his clothes back to the tent and sat down, staring at the pig and its antics. She reached out and lifted it, squealing, in her hands, then turned it from side to side. She examined the collar, which had a locket attached. "Sha-ru-ro-tto?" she pronounced, uncertainly.

The pig squirmed out of her hands, and returned to the pot, beating on it with its hooves again. Shampoo asked bemusedly, "You want some of the stew? I guess it can't hurt." She put a bowl on the ground, then ladled some stew into it.

The pig put its hoof on the edge of the bowl and pressed down, tilting it on its side with a jerk. The contents splashed into the pig's face. Ryoga reappeared on the instant, causing Shampoo to scramble back, startled. Eyes widening, she realized that he was wearing nothing, aside from some meat and vegetables on his face. Blushing furiously, Ryoga grabbed his clothes and disappeared into the tent.

Without a word, Shampoo picked up her chui again and held it in front of her, watching the tent carefully. A minute later Ryoga's face emerged around the flap, only to draw back quickly on seeing the weapon poised in front of him.

"Can I come out?" he inquired plaintively.

"What are you?" the Chinese girl demanded. "Are you human? Or some sort of spirit?"

"I'm human!" he answered petulantly. "I just have a curse. Look, I'm coming out, so don't brain me, okay?" He stepped out, then backed away to the other side of the fire.

"I got a curse in China," he elaborated. "It was Ranma's fault! That's why I want to ... make her pay."

Shampoo lowered her weapon marginally, still holding it ready. "What sort of curse?"

Ryoga sighed. It seemed like he wasn't going to be keeping any secrets from his companion. "You mind if I sit?" At her nod he sank cross-legged to the ground, filled the bowl he had already used with more stew, and started to eat.

"Like I said, I was in China. Following Ranma, as a matter of fact. Chasing her really. The jerk had run out on a duel. I stuck to her trail for months, never quite catching up."

"Probably going in the wrong direction," Shampoo opined.

Ryoga shot her a dirty look. "One day I was standing on a cliff looking out over a valley named Jusenkyo ..."

"Jusenkyo!" Shampoo interrupted with a cry. "But that's near where I live! It's supposed to be a special training ground, which is mostly used to punish people. Though ... I've never been told how it's used for punishment."

Ryoga sighed. "Punishment, huh? I can believe it. Pretty harsh punishment though. From where I was standing I could see these pools of water all through the valley, as far as the eye could see. It turns out that if you fall into one of the pools, you're cursed to change into something whenever you get splashed with cold water. Like the stream. I turn into a pig. Hot water changes me back."

Shampoo considered what she had heard. "So you went down into the valley and fell into one of the pools?" She put down her weapon, picked up a bowl and got some stew for herself.

The boy looked down. "Not exactly. Ranma was chasing ..." Ryoga paused. By now he suspected the bear Ranma had been chasing was the other boy's father, but he didn't want to suggest that Ranma or his father was cursed. Let Shampoo continue to think that Ranma was a girl. "She was chasing some animal. A bear. I don't know why. She ran into me and knocked me off the cliff. I managed not to fall into the pool at the bottom, except that Ranma ... made me fall in anyway."

Ryoga snarled, adding. "Because of Ranma, I've seen hell. I want to break every bone in her body."

Shampoo ate silently, contemplating the nature of Jusenkyo. Previously, it had always been a name of horror from childhood tales, someplace to which children were carried off if they were bad. It was probably _because_ it was such a childhood tale that she had never thought about it seriously enough to try to learn the truth. Now that she knew, she resolved with a shudder to never go near the place. It was the sort of thing that could give a person nightmares, the idea that the touch of water could deprive her of all of her strength and skill, leaving her as a small and helpless animal.

Looking across at the boy, she noticed he still wore the collar and locket, of which she had apparently failed to take notice before. Pointing, Shampoo asked, "What means ...," speaking hesitantly, "Sha-ru-ro-tto?"

Ryoga looked down, face turning red. Thankfully his chin hid the locket from view. "It's an American name, I think. Charlotte. Some crazy girl put it on me while I was in my pig form. It's locked on and she has the only key. There's supposed to be a skating match with her on Thursday. I'm hoping to get the key back then."

Shampoo looked down as well on hearing this, although in her case it was an attempt to hide a grin. An unsuccessful attempt. Ryoga noticed and fell silent, concentrating furiously on the stew in his bowl. The horror of changing into a small item for the dinner menu didn't compare to the humiliation of having a beautiful girl find his situation amusing. Ryoga tried to divert himself with fantasies of beating Ranma into a bloody wreck.

* * *

"I think that's enough for tonight."

At Ranma's words Akane dropped, landing cross-legged, sitting on the dojo floor. She brushed wet strands of hair back from her forehead, then pulled at the front of her gi to let air cool the rivulets running down from her neck. The teenage martial artist seriously considered remaining where she was until bedtime.

As Ranma tidied away the obstacles he had strewn around the floor before the sparring session, he gave a proud glance in Akane's direction. She was really coming along. Hell, she had even made him work up a sweat. If only she didn't have such terrible taste in guys. Why Ryoga? The familiar unanswered question eroded the happy feelings and he was soon feeling depressed.

Akane looked up, noticing Ranma's gloomy mood. He'd been acting like this for almost a week now, slipping into depressions at random times for no discernable reason and refusing to talk about it. She tried to think of some new tactic to draw him out of his shell, to get him to tell her what was wrong. With the locker room incident from earlier that day still very much on her mind, Akane decided to open with that.

"Hey. Can we talk about what happened at school today?"

Ranma raised an eyebrow. "You mean when you showed up at the locker room looking like me and only wearing a towel?"

Akane's cheeks turned rosy. "Yeah. That."

Ranma shrugged. He walked over and sank to the floor beside her. "What about it?"

Akane started with, "You remember a couple of weeks ago, back when Ryoga first showed up and you started training me harder, we were talking on the roof one night? How you said we could talk about anything? That nothing could be more embarrassing than what we'd already gone through together in China?"

The boy sitting beside her merely responded with an inquisitive, "Yeah ...?"

Akane looked off into space. "Well, I figure I ought to tell you what happened today. Even though it was really embarrassing. Because the other girls are all going to think it was you. Except Yuka and Sayuri of course."

Ranma thought about this. "Oh ... crap. You said you had an accident in the locker room, didn't you?"

Akane nodded. "Afraid so. No one saw me change, but they all thought they saw you running through the locker room with nothing on. While most of them weren't wearing much. They weren't very happy about it."

Ranma looked up toward the ceiling. He spoke only a single resigned word. "Joy."

"It gets worse," she warned him, "or at least I certainly thought so at the time. I was trying to get to the hot water in the shower, but Miyu must have thought I was going to ... try something. She was in the way, you see. She gave me a kick, right ... well, you can probably guess where. It's made me think that maybe I should apologize to a couple of boys. I hadn't realized just how much that hurts."

Ranma gave a soft, sympathetic chuckle.

Akane went on. "I fell on the floor. Kind of stopped thinking about anything else. The girls were hitting me with things. Yuka finally distracted them long enough for me to run away. Anyway ..." She sighed. "I just thought you ought to know. Since they'll think it was you."

Ranma felt a little bitterness at fate, for getting them into this situation. Strangely, he didn't feel like blaming Akane. It sounded too much like some of the situations that _he_ found himself getting into, entirely by accident. Still, he wasn't looking forward to encountering those girls in school tomorrow.

"I guess I'll survive," he told her. "Just one thing. Try to remember this the next time you find me in some situation that looks bad. That just maybe it's an accident and not my fault at all."

"I'll try," Akane replied quietly. "Thanks for listening, and not blaming me. I guess we really can talk about anything, huh?"

Ranma smiled, obscurely feeling a little better despite the problems this was likely to cause. "Yeah, I guess we can."

Akane didn't look at him. "So why can't you tell me what's been bothering you?"

Ranma sucked in a bit of air, hissing over his teeth. How was he to answer that? He didn't want to talk about that. He had no idea how to talk about it. It wasn't like Akane had really done anything wrong, she had just ... fallen for someone he couldn't understand. And he didn't _know_ why it was bothering him so much. Except of course that she was supposed to be engaged to him. Which neither of them agreed to or accepted.

But if he refused to answer, he'd be saying in effect that he had lied. That there were things they couldn't talk about. Concerns he wouldn't share. That the best friend he'd ever had ... maybe wasn't that close a friend after all. She might feel that he had pushed her away.

His thoughts circled around, looking fruitlessly for some escape. His honor, the words he had spoken, nagged at him. Were they friends, or weren't they? Could they talk about anything, or not? What would things be like between them, tomorrow, if he wouldn't talk now? The thought that Akane might end up thinking he didn't value her friendship helped him to make his decision.

"I ... I ain't real sure why it's bothering me," he whispered slowly. "I keep telling myself I'm being stupid. That it ain't any of my business. But for some reason I just can't ... I'm just not okay with it. It's ... eating away at me, 'cause I can't make sense of it. There's no reason it should have to make sense, but ... I can't seem to help trying."

None of this made any sense, but Akane kept her mouth shut. Ranma paused long enough that she wondered if he'd say any more, but finally he started speaking again.

He didn't look at the girl beside him. His mouth twisted. "If it was anybody but Ryoga. I mean, what's so special about ... no, that ain't fair. It's just, he comes round here, blaming me for stuff that ain't my fault, wanting to fight me about it, and then you ... well, you ... hell, I just don't understand, all right!"

"Don't understand what?" Akane asked quietly. "What about Ryoga? What about me?"

Ranma closed his eyes. His words came in a hoarse whisper. "I don't know why. It just bugs me that you could fall in love with someone like Ryoga."

Akane reeled back in shock. "Ryoga?! Me?! Love? What are you _talking_ about?"

That got Ranma's eyes open. He stared at her, puzzled. "You told me you were in love with him."

Akane's jaw dropped, flabbergasted. After several seconds of staring she regained control of her mouth and protested, "I did no such thing!"

"Yes you did!" Ranma insisted. "You ..." He stopped. Akane was staring at him incredulously. Somehow ... somehow he had gotten things completely wrong. It also came upon him that he had just made a colossal fool of himself.

"I ..." He swallowed. "I was sure ..." He shook his head. "Oh, crap. Double crap. Well, I guess now you know what was bothering me." Ranma climbed to his feet. "Excuse me. I'm going to go drown myself in the koi pond, and put myself out of our miseries." He ran out the door.

Akane stared at the doorway, unable to look away from the spot where he had disappeared. How had he _ever_ gotten the notion into his head that she was in love with Ryoga Hibiki? Akane shuddered. She supposed Ryoga wasn't that bad looking, but honestly!

After awhile Akane stood and went looking for Ranma. She was pretty sure that he wasn't going to want to talk about this any more, but maybe she could apologize? For whatever inexplicable thing she'd done to give him that crazy idea? Maybe it would help.

She had no luck though. He was nowhere to be found, in the house, or in the yard, or up on the roof. He must have left entirely, unless he was purposely avoiding her. With a sigh she went inside to bathe, work on her homework by herself, and finally go to bed.

* * *

Ranma was back by breakfast the next morning, but Akane decided not to bring the matter up again. Even if she was puzzled by the mystery of where he had come up with such a strange notion. However, one look at his face had made it clear that he was intensely mortified by the whole episode, and upon this realization she decided to spare him the misery of making him explain just to satisfy her curiosity.

For his part, Ranma had been extremely worried when he came down for breakfast that morning that Akane was going to insist on interrogating him. He was immensely relieved when she didn't bring the subject up, either during breakfast, or afterward, or on the walk to school. Ranma couldn't figure out how he could have misinterpreted what she had told him, but he still felt like a fool whenever he thought about the expression on Akane's face when he had blurted out that she was in love with Ryoga.

The only thing he could think of was that Akane loved Ryoga's cursed form - that she thought it was cute or something. She was still a girl, after all, and girls were like that sometimes, weren't they? At least, he had a vague idea that they were. Maybe, inexplicably, she was willing to let Ryoga sleep in her bed provided he was in his cursed form just because she thought it was so cute. It seemed unlikely, but then it was clear to him that whatever her reasons, he simply didn't understand them.

Besides, it felt like an immense weight had been lifted from his soul to learn that Akane wasn't in love with Ryoga.

School went pretty badly, with most of the girls giving Ranma the silent treatment, and most of the guys slapping him on his back for his audacity. He bounced out of his chair when the final bell rang, allowing him to escape, and he left the school in the company of Akane and Hiroshi to head over to the skating rink for practice.

Another day passed, school went by all too slowly, and there was one final practice session at the rink before the match the next day.

* * *

Ranma skated quickly down the ice, holding Akane's hand. Hiroshi dodged around some of the other people who were out there in the rink, preparing to slip around the pair and head down the ice in the other direction. At the last moment, Ranma pushed off of Akane's hand, changing direction by almost ninety degrees. He tapped Hiroshi in the side, and the other boy turned his feet, braking to a stop, with a wide grin on his face.

"Not bad, Ranma! Not bad at all."

Akane skated over to join them. She was also smiling. "Yeah, that was pretty good. You've come a long way."

The pigtailed martial artist returned their smiles, but sighed. "I hope so. On the other hand, it ain't like you're fighting back, and there's gonna be two of 'em tomorrow. I'm feeling kinda confident, but we can't let our guard down."

"Don't worry so much," Hiroshi told him. "You two have got that Golden Pair beat easy on the martial arts stuff. Now all you gotta do is skate well enough to catch 'em so you can use your martial arts. I think you can do it."

"Hey, do I look like I'm worried?" Ranma boasted. "All I said was we gotta keep our guard up. Not get overconfident and do something stupid."

"Gee," Akane responded to this, "and just which of the three of us here is most likely to do something like that?"

"I've got no idea," Ranma answered her with a grin.

He turned back to the other boy, his grin fading. "By the way, thanks for earlier today. In the locker room. For getting in the way before I could punch that jerk Kenji in the mouth. He ain't a martial artist and, well, it's not like he said anything worse'n the other guys. Just heard it one time too many."

"What happened?" Akane asked, concerned.

Ranma shrugged. "Aah, nothing. Just another idiot asking when I was gonna take another run through the girls' locker room, and asking if I could pick him up something to go while I was there. They can't seem to shut up about it."

Akane looked guilty, and unhappy. "I'm sorry. And the girls are being just as bad in their own way."

He shrugged again. "They'll get over it, eventually. And you're still treating me normal. Oh, and remind me to thank Yuka and Sayuri. When they came up and talked to me at lunch, acting like nothing was wrong ... well, I don't know if it helped, but I appreciated it."

Ranma went on to mumble, "Though I wish Minami would ignore me like the others."

"What was that?" Akane inquired, not sure if she had heard correctly, or what he meant. Ranma turned red, but didn't answer.

Hiroshi decided to be helpful. "Minami was coming on to him. I was close enough to hear. Said she wouldn't mind getting another look."

Ranma shot the other boy a quelling look, not daring to look at Akane's reaction. "And I told her to forget it. I ain't interested."

Akane said nothing to this. Somehow she knew that Ranma was worried that she would think he had somehow invited the comment, that he had been flirting with the girl on purpose. At the same time she felt certain that he had done nothing of the sort. One corner of her mind wondered why she was so certain, and wasn't blaming Ranma for it. However, she didn't pay that corner of her mind very much attention. Akane was far too busy with the rest of her mind, wondering what had motivated the sudden strong and terrible urge she felt to hunt down Minami Kisugi and gouge out her eyes.

On the way home, after they parted ways with Hiroshi, Ranma tapped Akane on the shoulder. She paused and turned around on the fence top to regard him.

"Er ..." Ranma hesitated, before plowing on. "Just wanted to clear the air, before the match tomorrow. About Ryoga. I'm sorry I got the wrong idea. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

Akane tilted her head to the side, trying to understand, before answering. "That's okay. I was just shocked, mostly. I still don't know how you got such an idea, but ..." She trailed off.

"Yeah, well ... I'll try not to be such an idiot in future. So ... I guess that's that. Nothing more to say about it." He gave a sharp little nod, closing the subject. Akane looked at him a moment longer, then gave him a smile before she turned back around and continued along the fence. As he followed, Ranma watched her form moving ahead of him with perfect balance and couldn't help smiling himself.

* * *

In a town just beyond the boundary of Tokyo proper, a Chinese girl and a Japanese boy set up camp on the roof of an apartment building. They spoke little, yet both were confident that their chase would draw to an end on the morrow.

And in the dark of her bedroom, Akane sat bolt upright in bed, sweating. The memories of the nightmare were already fading. There was something about Ryoga, and her pet P-chan, and Ranma. Ranma had been trying to rescue her from something. But try as she might, Akane couldn't remember what it was. Fluffing her pillow, she lay her head back down to return to sleep, feeling vaguely troubled.

* * *

**Author's note:**

Stick around for chapter 7, in which the ice skating match will finally take place.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	7. Battle in the Rink

**Side by Side  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Sequel to _Togetherness_. Alternate universe story in which Ranma and Akane are cursed to change into duplicates of one another.

* * *

**Chapter 7. Battle in the Rink**

Morning finally arrived, chasing away her nightmares. Akane came down to the family room still wearing her pajamas, a little later than usual, and knelt beside the table. Through the open shoji she could see Ranma and his father fighting strenuously. Apparently neither had yet fallen into the koi pond, since Ranma was a boy and his father was human. Akane stifled a huge yawn then looked up, smiling, as Kasumi put some food down in front of her. "Thanks, oneechan," the younger girl said.

"You're welcome," Kasumi replied with a smile of her own. However, closer observation of her sister's appearance caused her expression to change. Frowning, she asked, "Did you have trouble sleeping last night?"

Akane shrugged. "Bad dreams. I'll be fine." She dug into her breakfast greedily.

Nabiki was sitting on the opposite side of the table, nursing a cup of coffee as she scanned the newspaper headlines. She looked over at her younger sister. "Are you ready for the skating match later?"

Akane grinned. "You bet. We're going to show those two. Will you be able to make it? The principal gave Ranma and me permission to leave school right after lunch, but ..."

Nabiki waved a hand airily. "I'll be there. I already got permission to leave before last period this afternoon. He's a bit of a stickler for the rules, but he's human. You're family after all. I just wish the match wasn't set for right after school, so that more of our schoolmates could make it. I'm afraid the audience is going to be almost entirely Kolkhoz High students."

"That doesn't bother me," Akane told her. "They can all watch their precious Golden Duo lose."

"Don't get overconfident," Nabiki warned.

Her younger sister sighed. "I'm not, trust me. But Ranma says it's important to feel confident, both before and during a fight. Not let yourself get overconfident, but also don't sabotage yourself by worrying."

Akane had already turned and was looking outside again while she replied, a small smile playing across her lips as she admired Ranma's technique. Nabiki twisted to follow her gaze, just as Genma landed in the pond with a huge splash.

The older sister proceeded to change the subject. "So, you've known Ranma for what, a bit over a month now? You seem to like him. Feeling any better about being engaged to him yet?"

Akane closed her eyes and thinned her lips. "I am _not_ engaged to him. We're friends. Just friends. Daddy is _not_ going to tell me who to marry. I wish all of you would stop ... pushing."

"Dad may not give you a choice," Nabiki said quietly. "He's a bit old-fashioned in some ways. And even if he is a big softie who's easy to push around, there are times when he can be surprisingly immovable. Besides, you do like Ranma, right?"

Akane's eyes were still closed. She considered her words carefully. "I like Ranma, yes. He's a friend. Maybe one of the best friends I've ever had. But can't all of you just let us be friends for now? I don't think I'm ready for anything more than that, not with any boy."

She opened her eyes, and regarded her sister sorrowfully. "The boys at school hurt me, a lot. More than I realized at the time. I can't ... when I try to imagine dating a boy my age, all I can picture is someone trying to overpower me. It's ... scary." A plaintive note entered her voice. "I need time."

Nabiki swallowed hard, past the pain which had risen in her throat, and fought not to let her eyes tear up. She felt immensely guilty, acknowledging now the part she had played in making her sister feel that way. "Okay, little sister. I'll try not to push. No more talk of fiancés or engagements. But ... I meant what I said about father. It's usually pretty easy to twist him around your finger. But this ... I don't know. There's a look in his eyes when he talks about joining the two families that tells me nothing is going to talk him out of that."

Akane nodded sadly, saying nothing in response.

* * *

It rained off and on that morning, but the clouds finally broke apart and disappeared before noon, leaving a bright blue sky behind. Before the weather cleared up, Ryoga had been forced to huddle under his umbrella constantly. While walking, he took excessive care to avoid the puddles in his path and at the same time kept watch for cars which might splash water up on him from the street. Despite knowing about his curse, Shampoo had quickly grown irritated with the way he was mincing along and was glad to see the sun come back out to stay. She grabbed the boy's arm and started dragging him forward more quickly.

"I wonder how much further it is to Nerima," Ryoga mused in Mandarin.

Shampoo turned her head to stare at him in scornful amazement before returning her gaze to the sidewalk ahead. "Stupid male. We're in Nerima now. Don't you pay any attention to where you're going?"

"That means we're almost there!" Ryoga chuckled nastily at the thought. "Soon, Ranma. Soon I will have my revenge."

Noon went by and time moved inexorably on. Shampoo's stomach gave a grumble just as they were passing in front of a small café. "You wait out here," she told Ryoga. "I'm going to go inside to buy us something to eat."

Ryoga looked at the café. "Why don't I come in with you?"

Shampoo pursed her lips. "Do you remember what happened yesterday?"

The boy's face reddened. "That wasn't my fault! Besides, how was I supposed to know that they were all members of a motorcycle gang?"

Shampoo shook her head in exasperation. She might not have any personal familiarity with gangs, but how her companion could have missed the fact that the men were all wearing identical jackets was beyond her. Not that she particularly cared about the level of destruction which ensued, nor had she been the least worried about her safety, but she had been planning to try to get some more information. Plans which had gone out the window when the mayhem began.

"I want to see if I can get directions to the home of this Tendo family while I'm in there. That means _you_ are staying out _here_." The Chinese girl frowned thoughtfully as she wondered whether it would be safe to leave him outside by himself. Would he still be here when she returned? Not that she thought he would run off on purpose, but by now she had been given ample opportunity to witness his supernatural capacity for becoming lost.

"Give me your arm," Shampoo commanded. When Ryoga held his hand out uncertainly, the girl grabbed it and immediately tied a rope around his wrist. She tied the other end around a lamppost. "Don't go anywhere while I'm inside," she told him, then vanished through the door before he could protest.

Ryoga fumed a bit over this treatment, briefly considering breaking the rope and either following her inside, or going off on his own to find the Tendo home. It really would serve her right if he did. But then he pictured Shampoo fighting Ranma while he was off lost somewhere, unable to take advantage of the situation. With that thought he was able to cool down barely enough to cross his arms and lean against the lamppost, waiting impatiently.

At the end of the block, Akane and Ranma were hurrying down the cross street toward Kolkhoz High School, carrying gym bags slung over their shoulders. Out of the corner of his eye, Ranma caught sight of Ryoga Hibiki leaning against a lamppost. The other boy appeared to be scowling. At first only mildly amused at the coincidence of seeing his rival, it suddenly occurred to Ranma that Ryoga might be trying to find his way to the skating challenge to interfere. Maybe even to stupidly try again to be Akane's partner in the match. He stopped, considering what he should do.

Akane stopped as well, turning to look at her partner. "What's up?" she asked curiously.

"Um, I think I'd like to get a bite to eat," Ranma essayed.

"What? Now? Can't it wait?" Akane felt that she would never cease to be astonished by the amount of food her friend could put away. It completely dwarfed her own appetite, even though that had been steadily increasing as her training had become more rigorous.

"Uh, no, I don't think so. I'm _really_ hungry." He gave her a puppy dog look, before saying, "Why don't you go on without me? I'll only be a few minutes."

"Honestly." Akane started to frown, but then laughed over the absurdity of the look he was giving her. "Okay, but you better not be late! Or else I'll take on the Golden Twits by myself."

"Don't worry," Ranma told her with a smile. "I'll be there."

With one last shake of her head Akane took off down the road. Ranma turned back, peering around the corner to see that Ryoga was now looking the other way. Quietly he crept up on the boy only to see that he had, for some bizarre reason, tied his wrist to the lamppost. Ignoring this as irrelevant, Ranma grinned at the sight of a convenient puddle left by the earlier rain.

A quick sweep of Ranma's foot sent a large splash of water across Ryoga from behind, wetting his arms and the back of his head. Before the startled boy could begin to turn, the volume of water striking his skin proved to be sufficient and he disappeared into his clothing, his hoof falling out of the loop of rope.

Ranma reached inside the squirming shirt and managed to snag the pig's collar. He hauled Ryoga out, holding the furious and struggling creature at arm's length. Ranma studied him for a minute before speaking.

"I ain't too sure what's going on 'Charlotte,' or what exactly Akane sees in you. I don't think I wanna know. But I can guess you were planning to make trouble today, and I ain't gonna let you. Akane and I are gonna fight those two, and you're not gonna get in the way. I'll see to that. So come on."

Ranma grabbed the other boy's clothing and stuffed it into the pack on the ground, then hoisted that pack onto his own back. With that, he turned and walked off rapidly, holding the pig behind his neck at the end of an outstretched arm, his other hand still holding the gym bag. Ryoga fumed and jerked around helplessly, unable to twist sufficiently to reach Ranma's arm. Each time he almost made it, a quick jerk spun him back around again.

Shampoo came back outside, carrying bags of food. "Okay, I found the address in a telephone book and got directions ... Ryoga?" She examined the still tied rope, bewildered, then looked up and down the street both ways. There was no sign of the boy. The Chinese girl gritted her teeth, unable to credit that he was able to get lost even when he was tied up.

After a moment the girl paused and asked herself why she was so upset. Yes, she had been hoping the Japanese boy would save her a bit of unpleasantness and kill Ranma himself. But up until a few days ago she had expected to do the killing. She now had the address and directions to where Ranma was supposed to be found. It was time to end this chase.

Shampoo paused long enough to eat some of the food, then departed on her way. As she walked, the young warrior began steeling herself for the necessity of taking another person's life.

* * *

Looking for someplace safe to stash the squirming pig, Ranma stepped through a pair of doors and saw the ice rink in front of him. The room was currently empty of people, as all of the students were still in class. The young man decided to take a closer look at where events would soon be taking place.

When he reached the waist high wall separating the spectators' seats from the rink proper, Ranma spent a minute or two studying the ice where the contest would be fought. Looking around, he saw the announcer's table a short distance away, and sitting atop that table was a massive trophy cup. Ranma walked over for a better look. In front of the trophy was a sign proclaiming it to be the 'Charlotte Cup.' It looked heavy, and closer inspection revealed that it was chained to the table. A smart move on someone's part, as it meant that Azusa could not simply name the cup and walk off with it.

Taking another look, Ranma saw that there was an extra portion of the chain lying beyond the padlock which secured it, and that the chain ended in a snap hook. This observation gave him an idea, an idea that, given the name of the trophy, seemed wonderfully appropriate. With a wicked chuckle, he picked up the end of the chain and attached the hook to the collar worn by the struggling Ryoga. The boy's pack he stuffed under the table, behind a cloth which hung to the floor.

"Now you just sit there and watch the match," Ranma told the fuming pig, "and don't worry about a thing. Akane and I make a great team. We'll win easily."

Akane was changing clothes in the girls' dressing room when the final bell rang to end the school day. Azusa strolled in a minute later, whistling a cheerful ditty. On catching sight of the Furinkan student, Azusa said, "So you came. Are you ready to lose?"

"Hmmph. You're the one who's going to be losing," Akane replied as she pulled her costume out of the bag.

Azusa clasped her hands in front of her chest and widened her eyes, saying, "Ooh. Azusa is so looking forward to taking her widdle Charlotte home with her."

"_My_ P-chan isn't going anywhere with you," Akane snarled in return.

A sparkle lit in Azusa's eye at getting this show of temper from her opponent. She raised the stakes with, "And did you enjoy kissing Mikey the other day? He's planning to kiss you again during the match, you know. He always makes sure to steal a kiss from the girls we skate against."

Akane ground her teeth at this reminder of how Mikado had kissed Ranma while the latter was in his cursed form. "That pervert better not come anywhere near my lips, or I'll rip his own off of his face." She started to pull on her form-fitting costume.

"Is that what you're wearing?" the other girl asked in tones of disbelief. She pulled an outfit from her own bag, composed of shimmering pastels which caught the light and threw it back in a multitude of sparkling points.

Akane looked down at the suit she was pulling on. It was white, with a design of large butterflies printed diagonally across the front from her right leg to her left shoulder. "Why? What's wrong with it?" she asked uncertainly.

Azusa laughed brightly. It sounded cheerful, but there was a hint of mockery underneath. "I don't suppose there's anything wrong with it at all," she answered, then added, "if you were six years old."

Akane bared her teeth. "It'll do to knock you on your butt out on the ice." She finished pulling it on, then reached back into the bag for her skates.

Azusa merely laughed again. She chose to settle for the barbs with which she had already struck, rather than to risk overdoing it. The two of them finished their preparations in silence, then headed for the rink.

They met Mikado and Ranma just arriving as well, both of whom wore tight expressions on their faces. The comments exchanged in the boys' dressing room had been just as barbed as what had passed in the girls'. The teenagers quickly paired off with their partners and walked toward the gate in the wall, allowing a little space to open between them.

As she walked along, Akane glanced out over the rink, her eye catching sight of the announcer's table on the opposite side where she spotted her pet pig. "P-chan! How did you get there?" The exclamation was not truly very loud, and Ryoga had no chance of hearing her over the crowds which now filled the stands.

Ranma of course heard her. "Eh, does it matter? He's supposed to be the prize in this match, ain't he? Seems to be the right place for him."

Akane eyed him suspiciously. "Did you have something to do with him being there?"

Ranma started to bluster, but then wilted under the look she was giving him. "Hey, what d'ya want from me? You already know I don't like the porker. But at least I brought him here when I found him, and left him someplace where you could get him after we win."

Upon consideration of his words, Akane relented. "I suppose. I just wish I knew why you seem to dislike him so much. It doesn't make sense. He's a cute little guy."

Ranma avoided gagging with difficulty. He reminded himself, again, that Akane had vehemently denied being in love with Ryoga. He was still completely bewildered as to just what she did think about the pig-boy. He turned his mind resolutely away from such questions to focus on the match ahead.

"Doesn't matter. Let's just concentrate on beating these two stuck-up clods."

The man sitting behind the table announced the beginning of the match. The lights in the room all went off, then several spotlights turned on, all focused on the gate where Mikado and Azusa were now standing on the ice. They waved to the cheering spectators as they skated out with Azusa sitting on Mikado's shoulder. After crossing the rink they turned to the side and came to a stop at the end to the right of the announcer.

"Huh. Nothing but flash," complained Ranma.

Akane got an intuition that Ranma was about to try something stupid, and she ducked aside just before his reaching hand could grab her. "What are you up to?" she inquired suspiciously.

Ranma reached for her again, missed again, and crossed his arms. "Come on. We need to make our own flashy entrance."

Akane crossed her own arms. "Nothing doing." The spotlights came on at the gate, showing an empty patch of ice. "The _plan_ was, we stick to basic skating and focus on the martial arts. You are _not_ going to make fools of us."

The announcer's voice spoke. "Uh, Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo?"

"Come on, Akane," Ranma whined. "We'll show 'em who's better."

She didn't give at all. "That's right. We'll show them who's the better _martial artists_. We're not going to try to prove anything about who's the better skaters."

Ranma grumbled under his breath. Finally he asked, "Okay. So how do _you_ want to go out there."

The loudspeakers once again inquired, "Are Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo there?"

"We'll just skate out normally," she replied. "Side by side. Nothing fancy. Now let's go before they think we've given up."

"Would you two stop arguing and hurry up out there!" a voice hissed from just above. Looking up they saw it was Nabiki. She was sitting beside Kasumi. Both fathers were present as well.

"Yeah, yeah, we're going," Ranma muttered.

He took Akane's hand and stepped out onto the ice and into the spotlight. A murmur arose from the crowd as they finally appeared, and the announcer sounded relieved as he said, "And here they are at last. From Furinkan High School, Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo!"

The two of them skated demurely across the ice, turned to the side, and skated down to the end of the rink to the announcer's left. "Yes, they make an entrance to, uh ... well, I'm sure we'll see what they've got in just a few minutes."

A bell rang. "And the match begins! A no holds barred battle over a pet pig!"

"Let's finish this quickly!" Akane said with determination. She grabbed Ranma's hand and the two of them skated down the ice, picking up speed as they went. From the opposite direction Mikado and Azusa were racing to meet them.

Akane swung Ranma around and he kicked out at the oncoming pair. He didn't connect though, as the other two separated, Azusa rising above the blow and Mikado ducking underneath it. A moment later Mikado had slammed into Akane, pulling her in tight, their faces only centimeters apart. Ranma was on Mikado's back, still holding Akane's hands, thus preventing her from pushing the pervert back.

The loudspeaker called out, "Sanzenin goes straight to his specialty kiss attack!" A long "oooh" rose from the audience.

However, there was no way that Ranma was going to let this bastard do to Akane what he had done to him. He clasped his feet tight to either side of Mikado's head and yanked back. "Never again, creep!" he said through gritted teeth.

At that moment Azusa came from out of nowhere, slamming Ranma to the side with a flying kick. Mikado was thus no longer restrained by Ranma, but at the same time Akane's hands were now free. She grabbed hold of the front of Mikado's shirt and, despite the memory of how it felt when it had happened to her, slammed her knee up between Mikado's legs.

The boy grunted and winced, but he was obviously wearing some sort of cup. Akane growled and took advantage of his momentary distraction, falling backward. She got her feet up between them and shoved. Mikado went flying through the air, turning several somersaults before landing on the ice once more, still on his feet. Azusa skated over and joined him.

"To think that she would refuse my kiss," Mikado remarked in astonishment. "Such a shy girl."

"You really live in your own fantasy world, don't you Mikey?" Azusa asked sweetly. Then she added, "Pity about the knee attack."

Mikado gave a soft snort. "You needn't concern yourself. It failed."

"Yes, Azusa knows," the girl responded. "That's the pity."

Across the ice, Ranma's insides were boiling. He wanted to tear Mikado apart for trying to kiss Akane. The week he had spent believing that Akane was in love with a jerk like Ryoga had been hard on him, but at least he had thought it was Akane's choice. He could almost accept that. But for this pervert Mikado to come along and try to steal a kiss from her, when she didn't want him to touch her, there was no way he was going to stand for that!

Akane skated over to rejoin Ranma, looking at him worriedly. It was clear from his expression that something was seething inside of him. But they had a match to fight. "Ranma ...?" Her voice reached out to him.

Ranma looked up, his eyes locking on Akane's. She was his friend, the truest friend he had ever had. She had already shared more with him than he thought he would ever share with another person. She had helped him learn to deal with having a girl's body, and all that implied. She had shared his first kiss. She had told him when he was being stupid, and had looked to him for help with her martial arts. She liked to irritate him by calling him 'sensei,' usually followed by that adorable little giggle. She had come to him for help after her accidental transformation in the locker room.

Then there was the engagement. They had refused to acknowledge it, but everyone else kept insisting they were engaged. Well, dammit! If everyone was going to insist on saying so, the least they could do was act like it! Ryoga had no business hanging around her the way he tried, let alone sleeping in her bed! This bastard Mikado had better keep his lips away from hers! There was no _way_ he was going to let some other guy kiss Akane!

"Ranma ...?" Akane whispered again, reaching out to touch her fingertips to his arm, feeling the tensed muscle underneath his sleeve.

From a short distance away on the ice, Mikado called out loudly enough for everyone in the audience to hear. "Mark my words. Before this match ends, I shall steal the lips of Akane Tendo without fail."

Suddenly Ranma couldn't hold it in any longer. His anger and worry boiled over and the words burst out of him. "The _hell_ you will! Akane is my _fiancée_! You let your lips touch her and I swear to _God_, I will _kill_ you!"

Akane gasped. The words had been shouted, without a doubt audible to everyone clear to the back rows of the bleachers. Her sisters were in that audience! Their _fathers_ were in that audience! But most importantly of all, she herself was standing right here!

Why? Why had he said that? Hadn't they agreed that they weren't engaged? That no one was going to tell them who to marry? Why had he suddenly changed his mind? Why in front of all of these people? Why was her heart beating so loudly? What was she supposed to say? To do? Should she kill him or ... something else? She wanted desperately to take him off somewhere quiet and ... talk to him. Demand to know what was going on in his head.

Up on the announcer's table Ryoga had frozen, shock running through him. Then he began furiously bwee'ing, tugging uselessly at the chain which held him in place. In a towering rage he turned around, to cast his blazing eyes on the links of the chain. With determination he wedged a hoof into one of them, trying to force it apart.

Mikado answered Ranma's proclamation with a sneer. "Your fiancée, you say? Such bonds are fragile. I will do all in my power to shatter that bond!" Beside him Azusa pulled down the skin below her eye and stuck out her tongue.

Ranma ignored the pair, worrying instead about the extreme mental turmoil he was suddenly sensing from Akane. Turning toward her nervously, he saw that she was regarding him with wide eyes, searching for something. It only now occurred to him, much too late, to wonder how she was going to react to what he had just said. Would she yell at him? Would she deny loudly that they were engaged? Would she let it pass for the moment instead of embarrassing them both, and rip him a new one later? Yet, she didn't look angry. She looked more ... confused. Uncertain.

Azusa and Mikado started circling the rink, building up speed. As they turned back toward their opponents, Mikado called out loudly. "We, Skating's 'Golden Pair,' are known by another name as well. The _anti-matchmakers_!"

The announcer had moved to the edge of his seat. Excitedly he was telling everyone, "This is it! Mikado Sanzenin and Azusa Shiratori are making their ultimate move! The _couple cleaver_!" The audience gave loud gasps. Ryoga never paused in his efforts. One of the links in the chain was slowly spreading under the pressure he applied.

Ranma and Akane both shook off their other concerns. Belatedly they realized that they still had a fight to win. Taking each other's hand, they turned toward the Golden Pair and accelerated to meet them. There was no denying, however, that both were still distracted.

Akane and Ranma lashed out with simultaneous kicks. Azusa leaped high into the air above them. Mikado fell to the ice, snagging Ranma's ankle as it passed overhead. As Akane flew past, Azusa dropped out of the air, slamming into Ranma and bearing him down to the ice. As she did so she planted a cute little kiss on his nose, calculated to anger Akane, who came skating rapidly back.

As Ranma tried to struggle to his feet, Azusa grabbed both of his ankles, tripping him. Akane was just in time to seize Ranma's hands, preventing him from planting his face into the ice. At that very moment Mikado surged upward, holding Azusa who ended up standing on his shoulders. She was still holding Ranma's ankles, who in turn was holding Akane's hands. In an incredible feat of strength, Mikado started them all spinning, turning around the axis formed by himself and Azusa.

"There it is!" the announcer shouted. "The terrible couple cleaver!" The audience was rising to its feet, emitting a steadily increasing roar of sound. Ryoga paused to take one look over his shoulder, then redoubled his efforts on the chain.

Out on the ice the spinning skaters had become a blur. Ranma and Akane were stretched out horizontally, holding each other's hands, while Azusa clung to Ranma's ankles at the center. The force of the spin was threatening to rip Akane away and throw her into the wall.

"Release her and I'll stop!" Mikado called up from his position at the bottom.

"What?! Are you crazy?! She'd hit the wall!" Fury filled Ranma's voice.

Mikado laughed. "That's the idea! When you release her, you betray her, saving only yourself! But the longer you hold on, the harder she'll hit when you do let go!"

"Ranma, let go!" Akane called. "You don't have a choice!"

Ranma looked up at her, eyes burning. "Never!" He somehow managed to make the single word both a growl and a shout at the same time. Pushing chi into his arms and hands, his muscles became like steel cords. His fingers held her hands in immovable grips.

Akane stared back, sensing the boundless determination behind his black pupils, blazing like a bonfire. In that moment she felt something, something that she was certain came from Ranma, from somewhere deep inside him. What she felt was an absolutely ironclad refusal to betray her. Akane didn't try to question the feeling, she only answered it. With her own absolute determination to succeed.

Akane thought back on her lessons in the dojo. She focused on breathing properly, on pushing chi into her arms for added strength. She relaxed the fingers of one hand, drawing a raised eyebrow from Ranma, who nonetheless prepared himself to help in whatever she might attempt. With a shove, Akane pushed that hand high up on Ranma's forearm and grabbed hold. Then she did the same with the other hand. Ranma held her arms just below the elbows to add support.

Akane reached forward again, seizing his upper arms, dragging herself forward. Ranma's hands gripped her upper arms bruisingly. She reached forward, wrapping her arms around his chest, feeling his hands hold her waist. She grabbed the seat of his pants, pulling forward again, blushing despite the circumstances at the feel of his hands holding her thighs. She slowly moved forward along his legs.

"M-Mikey? Azusa is starting to get dizzy."

Akane reached Ranma's ankles. She hesitated for a moment over the choice of targets. Taking a deep breath, she butted her forehead against the back of Azusa's head where it stuck up between Ranma's ankles. The other girl cried out and released them.

Akane noted dizzily that they were flying through the air. The opposite side of the rink, in front of her eyes, was receding rapidly. She barely had time to worry about the impact she knew was coming.

Ranma flipped himself over and spun around, facing away from the direction in which they were soaring. He grabbed Akane around the waist and pulled her back against his chest, holding her tightly. A moment later came the crash he had been expecting, and the world went black for a moment.

* * *

At the Tendo home, Shampoo encountered a neighbor who informed her that the entire family was at some sort of skating event over at Kolkhoz High School. Yes, a Ranma Saotome was in fact living with the Tendo's. Yes, this Ranma was indeed at the skating event. Where could she find Kolkhoz High School? Well, you go six blocks down this street and turn left. Then ...

Shampoo thanked the elderly woman for the directions before she took off running. Inside she was snarling mentally. If she understood the directions correctly, then back at that café where she had lost Ryoga, she had only been about five blocks from her current destination. It was almost as if the hand of fate were mocking her. If she were more superstitious, she'd be growing very worried indeed.

An even greater concern was that a school would be a very public location at which to kill someone. Perhaps she should wait at the Tendo home for Ranma to return? No, best to get it over with. If she could keep out of sight at first, she might be able to catch Ranma alone. Or at least with only one or two people around her.

* * *

The announcer was on his feet, shouting deliriously. "Ranma Saotome is still holding Akane Tendo. They defeated the couple cleaver! But at what cost? Will Ranma Saotome rise again?"

Akane slowly pried Ranma's arms from around her waist and rose to her knees, surprised to find herself whole and unharmed. She turned around to see Ranma lying on the ice, apparently unconscious. There was a huge crater in the wall above him, cracks radiating out in all directions.

Some distance away, Mikado had already regained his feet, and was watching the scene in stupefaction. No couple had ever failed to be separated by that technique before. This might be harder than he had thought. Unless Saotome really was finished. But if that were the case then the match would be over, and he had not yet kissed Akane Tendo. He silently willed for Ranma to stir.

His attention was distracted when the girl beside him stirred. Azusa stood groggily, one hand going to the back of her head, causing her to wince on encountering the lump there. "Mother-!"

Mikado smiled. "Careful, Azusa. You're letting the cute act slip."

"Go to hell, Sanzenin!" came the snarled reply.

On the announcer's table, the chain finally separated. The black piglet gave a glad cry, jumped to the floor and ran off. No one paid any attention to its departure.

Akane was hovering over Ranma's still form, her eyes occasionally glancing up at the crater his body had left in the wall. She took one of his hands in both of hers, holding it for her own comfort as much as for his. Tears started to form in her eyes. "Ranma ..." Her voice quivered, breaking. She looked at him closer, and a sensation of relief swept through her. "You're awake now, aren't you?"

There was a groan, and a soft voice answered her. "Yeah. But I ain't too sure I wanna be." An eye cracked open. "Are there supposed to be three of you?"

Akane smiled, one of the tears breaking free and sliding down her cheek. "I don't think so. Maybe you'd better lie there for awhile."

"Can't," he muttered. "Got a fight to finish." He jumped to his feet. Then his own eyes teared up from the pain this caused.

The crowd roared their approval. The announcer's shouts were nearly incoherent. Ranma concentrated on not falling back down.

Mikado clapped slowly, drawing everyone's eyes to him. "Well done. Congratulations. Are you ready to go on? Or will you be a coward and yield?"

"I'm ready!" Ranma yelled back.

"No you're not!" Akane complained from beside him. "Stop being a jerk! I can tell you're hurt! What are you trying to prove?"

"I'm _trying_ to get your pig back for you," Ranma said harshly. "Not to mention redeeming _our_ honor. Have you forgotten what that pervert did?"

"I, no, but ... do you really think you can?"

Ranma skated up close to her, making sure to speak so that only she could hear. "I don't have a choice. Our _honor_ is at stake. What have I told you before? It don't matter if you're tired. It don't matter if you're hurt. It don't matter if you just wanna lie down and pass out. When the fight's real, somehow you gotta find the strength to go on."

Akane nodded, but said, "I'm not sure you can call this a real fight."

Ranma's reply was bitter. "Real enough. No way I'm letting him win. Not after what he did."

At that moment all of the lights went out, plunging the entire room into total darkness. Not sure what was going on, they simply stood there, with Ranma glad of the opportunity to recover a bit more. However, a few minutes later a cascade of water fell across both Akane and Ranma and the change took them. Ranma felt his outfit hanging loosely on his frame. Akane's costume tightened painfully around her, particularly in one location. Without needing to consult one another, Ranma grabbed Akane's hand, picked a direction, and together they skated rapidly toward the wall, praying desperately that they could find a gate and get out of sight before the lights came back up.

They collided with the wall a moment later, then felt their way along it. Both of them breathed in relief when they found a gate and fell through it. Not sure where they were or how to find the exit, Akane quickly pulled Ranma underneath the bleachers, which luckily stopped above floor level so that spectators could see over the wall.

Several minutes earlier, Ryoga had found himself in a janitor's closet. There was a mop bucket in there which miraculously held warm, soapy water. Ryoga jumped in without difficulty, and a naked boy emerged. It occurred to him to wonder how he was going to visit his vengeance on Ranma without clothing.

Spying the fuse box on the wall, he quickly hatched a plan. First he filled another bucket at the sink with cold water. He might not be able to recognize Ranma's cursed form, but that hardly mattered at the moment. One splash and Ranma would be a girl, who would no doubt run off in shame. Then he, Ryoga, could pair up with Akane to finish off the match. When they won, she would look up at her new partner adoringly, and ... The boy cut off the fantasy. He had to move quickly if he was to pull this off.

Ryoga traced the circuit breaker labeled "ice rink" to a metal pipe running into the box. He grabbed this and pulled hard. The pipe ripped off of the box, tearing out the cable within it. Ryoga picked up the bucket with a grim smile, then went off in search of clothing.

Fate smiled on him. A moment later he found himself backstage in the auditorium where racks of costumes were sitting. He made a quick selection of something which didn't look too effeminate, then set off again. Rather than trusting to his sense of direction, he closed his eyes and trusted his ears. The crowd at the ice rink was making a great deal of noise due to the darkness, and he followed the sound. Once inside the rink, his listened closely for Ranma and Akane. After a couple of minutes, he heard Akane say something sharp to Ranma, and threw the water in that direction. He jumped after it, but failed to grab hold of either Akane or Ranma, and instead went flying across the ice on his back.

The announcer had finally found a megaphone underneath his table. "Would everyone please remain calm! I've been informed that someone sabotaged the wiring! The electrical engineering club say that they'll have a fix jury-rigged in a few minutes! We might not get all of the lights back, but we should get enough to see by, and maybe even enough that we can continue the match! Please remain in your seats, do not panic, and we'll have light again in a few minutes."

"What are we going to do?" Akane asked Ranma in whispered panic. "I don't know the way out, and when the lights come on they'll find us. Damn, this hurts!"

"Kind of tight, huh?" Ranma asked sympathetically. Her response could not be repeated in polite company.

"Pity we don't have any hot water down here," Ranma whispered after a moment.

"Oh, yeah, that's a _really_ helpful thought," Akane replied bitterly. "Why, oh why, aren't they storing hot water under the bleachers?"

"Sorry," he muttered.

Half a minute later Akane whispered, "Ranma?" He made an interrogative sound. She went on. "They're expecting to see Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo, right? And right now, we look like Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo. We're just backwards."

"We're also wearing the wrong costumes," Ranma responded. Then he voiced a very weak, "Oh." After another few seconds of silence he said, "But we can't find our way to the dressing rooms. And if we could, there wouldn't be a problem anyway."

Akane bit off her first sarcastic response. "Then we'll just have to change here."

"What?" Ranma had to fight to keep that from turning into a shout. "There are people all around us!"

Akane felt exactly the same way, but at the same time she was perhaps a bit more practical and knew that they didn't have long. She couldn't bear the thought of being caught looking the way she did right now. Not to mention that everyone would assume that she and Ranma had swapped clothes for some perverted reason. They'd never live it down.

"We don't have a choice!" she hissed. "And we don't have much time. It's pitch black. I can't even see _you_. Nobody can see us. But if we don't hurry up they certainly will see us."

"Oh, man!" Giving in to the inevitable, Ranma pulled off his shirt then started tugging at his pants, before realizing he had to take off the skates. Akane sensibly removed her skates first, then shrugged off her costume, trying not to think about the fact that she was sitting beside Ranma in panties and a sports bra. It didn't help much that she was in her male body. She passed her costume and skates over, receiving his in return.

As Ranma pulled on Akane's outfit he stopped and cleared his throat. "Uh, Akane, I hate to tell you this ..."

"What is it, Ranma?" There was a note of exasperation in her voice, knowing that they had to hurry.

"It's just ... the, uh, supporter I'm wearing ... I think it might show through this outfit. Which would look pretty strange. And I'm suddenly wondering whether anything else'll show. Up top, I mean."

Akane closed her eyes, praying for patience, or for somebody to strike her dead. She told herself, firmly, that it wasn't Ranma's fault. He was only pointing out the truth. Fighting her voice under control, she managed to respond evenly, "So ... we swap underwear too. Just as well. This is rather ... tight."

"Ah ... ah ... ah ... right." Ranma's brain was rapidly frying. As he heard the rustling of cloth beside him, he tried desperately not to think about the fact that Akane was sitting beside him completely naked. Inside a large room chock full of people. Of course, she was a guy at the moment. That thought helped get him back on track. He yanked off his supporter and t-shirt and handed them over.

As he slipped the panties on over his legs, a pointless thought occurred to Ranma. He whispered, "Hey. I thought you'd stopped wearing panties. I thought you wore those, whatchamacallit, tap pants?"

"Is this really the time to display an intense interest in my underwear?" Akane snapped. "If you'll think about that costume you're putting on, for just a moment, you'll know why I wore panties under it."

"Uh, right. Sorry." Ranma decided to shut up before he made a bigger ass of himself. He was silently thankful for his previous experiences with girl's underclothes, as he managed to get the bra on right way around at the first try.

A couple of minutes later, Akane whispered, "Ready?" At Ranma's affirmative reply she took his hand, and they made their way back out from under the bleachers. Tentatively they felt around for the gate they'd come through, thankful that the crowd was still making a lot of noise so that no one could hear them.

Ryoga had been lying quietly on the ice, listening for any sound he could distinguish. He had already detected the sound of the other two skaters, that Golden Pair, by their voices. They were a short distance away, behind and to his left. After several minutes passed he finally heard the sound he was listening for, the scrape of a skate on ice which didn't belong to the pair behind him. He stealthily made his way toward the sound, keeping his eyes shut, focusing only on the noise.

Akane felt herself shoved backward, where she hit the wall but managed to stay on her feet. The lights chose that moment to come back on, giving about half the light from before, but enough that she and Ranma could clearly see Ryoga Hibiki standing there with his arm linked through Ranma's. Of course, so far as he knew, it was Akane's arm.

"Now, Akane," Ryoga said to the person beside him, smiling widely, "team up with me and we'll defeat these two easily."

"Ryoga, you ... you ..." Ranma caught his tongue, remembering that Akane had feelings for this guy. Of some strange sort, anyway. The thought might burn in his gut, but if he claimed to be Akane's friend he should be careful what he said while wearing her face. Of course, he had publicly claimed to be a lot more than a friend a short while ago. For that matter, he now remembered Akane becoming annoyed with Ryoga over his insistence on partnering with her for this match.

So he finished the sentence a different way. "Ryoga, I already told you. This is Ranma's match. _He_ is my partner for it, not you."

Ryoga looked crushed. "But ... but ... I'll be a much better partner than Ranma. I promise."

Ranma glanced down at the boy's feet, which were encased in fancy slippers of some sort, not ice skates. "Have you even learned how to skate yet?"

Ryoga blushed. "I, ah, haven't had the time. But I can at least stand and walk!"

Akane skated over. "Ryoga, this is our match. Please leave."

The lost boy's face twisted in disgust. "_You_ stay out of this, Ranma!" He kicked out, and Akane barely dodged the blow. Then Ryoga froze, puzzled, wondering why Ranma still looked like himself. Had he missed with the water?

"Hey! Stop that, jackass!" Ranma hammered Ryoga hard in the gut, causing him to fly backward and strike the wall. Ryoga looked up at 'Akane' in betrayal. With unquenchable determination he stood back up and walked toward Ranma.

"Are we still having a match, or not?" Mikado called out sarcastically. "After all, I still have not given the fair Akane my promised kiss."

Ryoga reached Ranma just as Mikado finished this statement. Everyone in the audience and upon the ice saw 'Akane' pick the unknown boy up and hurl him through the air, whereupon he collided head to head with Mikado. They both crashed to the ice, rubbing at their scalps furiously.

"Would you get off the ice, cretin?" Mikado complained.

Ranma turned to Akane and quietly said, "Er, sorry about that. I know you'd rather I didn't, uh, treat Ryoga that way. I just got mad at Sanzenin." He rubbed furiously at his back. He still hadn't gotten over the collision with the wall, and that throw hadn't helped matters.

"Don't worry about it," Akane soothed. "It's Ryoga's own fault for getting in the middle of things. What does he think he's doing, anyway?"

Ranma shrugged. "He still thinks he should pair up with you for this match. Meaning me, since we're switched around. As for why ... I figured you'd know if anyone would. _I_ sure don't."

In the meantime Azusa was bending down over the prone figure of Ryoga, who was still in a state of shock over what Akane had done to him. Reaching forward and touching the locket on the collar with a fingertip, Azusa inquired in a bewildered tone, "Charlotte?"

Ryoga laughed nervously. "Sorry. You have me mixed up with someone else." He jumped to his feet. On the third try he managed to remain standing.

Deciding to ignore Ryoga, Ranma and Akane joined hands and skated across the ice toward Mikado and Azusa. Seeing their approach, the latter pair skated out to meet them. The exchange of blows which came when they met was inconsequential for once. Ranma and Akane slid past the other couple, bringing them near Ryoga. When they turned back around, they were startled to find Mikado and Azusa already fast approaching.

At that precise moment Akane sensed an attack coming from behind her and only just barely ducked out of the way of Ryoga's fist. She was starting to become quite angry with him. On seeing this attack, Ranma swung Akane around to his other side to protect her. The move was unexpected and therefore caught Azusa completely by surprise. The currently male Akane slammed into her at the end of this swing, and Azusa went sliding across the ice on her bum in a most undignified manner.

Mikado was seriously incensed at this continued interference. "I told you to leave the ice, fellow!" he spat in exasperation. Grabbing Ranma's hands as he swept past, he used Ranma as a pivot to swing around and plant a foot firmly in Ryoga's chest. Ryoga saw it coming, but his feet slipped, thus preventing him from dodging the kick. He flew backward to bounce off of the wall, then slid across the ice on his face, stopping at Ranma's feet once more.

In the meantime Mikado had pulled Ranma close, trying for another kiss with 'Akane.' Objecting to this plan, Ranma had punched him hard, sending him flying across the ice where he slid to a stop beside Azusa, who was on her feet again.

From his face down position Ryoga raised an arm, curled his hand into a fist and slammed it down onto the ice. A spiderweb of cracks radiated out from the point of impact. He raised himself slowly. Glaring at the smooth surface below him, he declared bitterly, "If only this wasn't here. If only the _ice_ wasn't here. Akane and I could _win_!" On the last shouted word he slammed his fist into the ice again, splintering it. Cracks spread far and wide.

Ranma started to step back, shaking his head, when a spray of freezing water struck him full in the face. "Yowww! That's _cold_!"

The water pouring out became a fountain. Ryoga, Ranma and Akane all stared at it, dumbstruck. The cracks widened. The loudspeaker told everyone, "That's right! This unique rink was created by freezing a swimming pool!" A horrified look passed over Ryoga's face as the surface broke apart into floes and boulders of ice.

Over above the gate, in the bleachers, Soun turned to his daughters and asked, "Why didn't Akane turn into a boy?"

Nabiki responded thoughtfully, "That must be Ranma. For some reason, they must have switched places. I wonder why?"

Genma spluttered. "You mean to tell me that my ... son ... is dressed in an outfit like _that_!"

Nabiki regarded him with amusement. "Afraid so. Just as well, too. If it _had_ been Akane, everyone in the audience would now think they were seeing Ranma, as a boy, wearing that outfit. Would you prefer that?"

Genma, it emerged, would prefer not to imagine anything of the sort. Which didn't precisely reconcile him to the notion that his son had willingly put on that skimpy costume in the first place.

Ranma watched Ryoga with interest, wondering what he was going to do with all of this water around. It occurred to him that Akane and himself were lucky that they had already switched places. He didn't want to even _think_ about the rumors which would have spread if the audience had just seen them appear to swap places, with both of them appearing to now be in the wrong costumes.

Ryoga's thoughts were, of course, quickly following a familiar path of 'This is all Ranma's fault.' He picked up a block of ice as tall as himself and heaved it in Akane's direction. She gave an 'eep' and ducked just in time as it sailed overhead. She held on precariously as the floe of ice on which she lay tilted menacingly.

Ranma had picked up his own block of ice and thrown it at Ryoga as soon as the latter had attacked Akane. Not expecting such an attack from the person he believed to be Akane, Ryoga had taken a direct hit, smashing into another floe and ending buried under a pile of ice. Ranma had turned away even before his attack reached its goal, as he realized Akane was starting to feel panicky. He finally remembered that she didn't know how to swim.

Scared though she was, Akane was getting very fed up with Ryoga's attacks. She climbed to her feet and picked up a very large iceberg floating beside her, carefully balancing upon the ice on which she stood so as not to fall in.

Ryoga pulled himself out of the pile of ice, feeling very put upon. He had no idea why Akane was defending Ranma like this, but he was sure that if he could just put his rival out of action, he could make her see reason. Spotting Ranma lifting a block of ice of his own, Ryoga quickly grabbed his own huge block and shouted, "Die, Ranma!"

Without even looking to see what he knew Ryoga was doing, Ranma bit off a vile oath and grabbed his own block of ice. He spun around to sling it at the lost boy, hoping to take him out before his own attack could be launched at Akane.

Mikado Sanzenin hopped from one chunk of ice to another on his skates. He called out, "For the last time, we have not finished our match. And I have not yet given Akane the kiss I promised her."

Ryoga, Akane and Ranma all launched their attacks simultaneously. Three huge blocks of ice flew through the air. They all converged on a common point at exactly the same time. A point upon which stood a suddenly alarmed Mikado Sanzenin. There was an enormous ringing crash, ice exploded outward in all directions, and everyone saw a somewhat flattened Sanzenin standing there, one finger upraised as if about to make a point. Slowly one, two, three teeth fell out of his mouth to bounce on the ice at his feet. Then he toppled over like a felled tree.

"It, ah, appears that the Golden Pair will have to default," the announcer declared, befuddled.

Akane gave Ryoga a scathing look, then said, "Come on, Akane! Let's go change." She hopped from one piece of ice to another and then over the wall.

"Uh, right," Ranma called after her retreating back. "Coming, uh, Ranma." He was about to follow when he felt someone grab his hand.

"Akane, wait," Ryoga said beseechingly. "I don't know what I've done to upset you, or why you're defending that idiot. But can we please talk?"

Ranma turned and regarded the other boy angrily. Bad enough that this boy was sleeping in Akane's bed. Even if she did seem to be allowing it for some strange reason. Bad enough that he kept attacking Ranma himself over his own stupidity at having fallen into a pool after being warned of the danger. But now the oaf was launching deadly attacks at Akane, just because of his stupid desire for vengeance on 'Ranma.' The real Ranma was, quite simply, out of patience.

"Back off, Ryoga," he growled, and shoved the boy away.

Ryoga slipped on the ice and promptly fell into the water.

"Oh ... hell," Ranma said wearily, watching the shadowy form beneath the water as it shrank and the clothes floated loosely. With a look of 'why me' at the heavens, Ranma dove into the water. The _freezing_ water, as he remembered once he was in it.

Ryoga was struggling to get free of his clothing, worrying about how good a swimmer he might or might not be in this form. To make matters worse, this water was absolutely freezing. He was beginning to wonder if he'd ever fight his way free of the shirt which was snarled around him when he felt himself grabbed and towed through the water.

Ranma didn't want to come up at the same spot where he dove in. It might raise too many questions since people would be focused on that location, and were bound to wonder about the pig he was carrying. He angled off underwater toward the corner of the rink which ought to be closest to the exit, ignoring the terrible cold through dint of long practice. As the wall approached he dove toward the bottom then kicked upward rapidly. He shot out of the water and over the wall. He bounced through the crowd, surprising a series of yelps from them, and then he was out the door.

Thinking quickly, he decided that the best thing to do at the moment was to give Akane back her P-chan. So he dropped Ryoga's borrowed clothing along the way and headed for the girls' dressing room. The pig appeared to be dazed by his near drowning.

Just outside the dressing room he met Azusa. She appeared to be in reasonably good shape and was carrying, strangely enough, a blanket. She stopped Ranma and used a finger to lift the pig's chin, examining the collar closely. Looking up into Ranma's face, which of course she thought was Akane's, Azusa asked, "This is the same boy who was out on the ice?"

"Uh, yeah," Ranma said. "Long story."

The skater shuddered. "Azusa thinks she'll let you have him. Here." She held out a small key.

"Thanks," Ranma told her. Curiosity winning out he asked, "Why the ...?" He pointed at the blanket.

Azusa cuddled it closer. "This is Azusa's Martina! Now if you'll excuse me, I should go check on Mikey again. It's so much fun to poke him when he's not feeling well!" She skipped off down the hall.

Ranma shook his head, then knocked on the door. He used the key to unlock the collar while he waited for a response. Just as he was removing the collar the door opened and Akane peeked out, male, bare chested, a towel over her shoulders, and still wearing the pants of her, or rather his, skating uniform. Ranma held out the pig. Akane's eyes widened and she gave a baritone squeal of "P-chan!"

"Uh, yeah," Ranma grunted, wiggling a finger in his ear after she took the pig. "Would you mind not doing that when you're wearing my body?"

Akane gave him a smirk, accompanied by an insincere, "Sorry."

"So how do you want to handle changing back?" Ranma asked. "I mean, not to be perverted or nothing, but I'm pretty certain you aren't going to want to swap what we got on underneath with the lights on. And I can't exactly switch back to a guy while I'm wearing what I got on."

"Oh," Akane said, nonplussed. "Um ... It would probably be easiest if we changed back after we got home. Would you mind?"

Ranma gave a long suffering sigh. "I guess not. But in that case, you're in the wrong dressing room. If anyone comes by they're gonna think it's mighty strange. And you better give me back your P-chan. I'm the one who looks like his 'mommy' at the moment. He'd probably bite you."

"Uh, right," Akane said after a moment. She held out the pig and Ranma took him with a sigh. Akane stepped back into the room, picked up the shirt of the skating uniform, then gave Ranma a smile as she stepped past and disappeared down the hall. Ranma entered the room in her place, put Ryoga down, then pulled off the skating costume.

Ranma looked down at what he was wearing. For the first time he had a chance to reflect on the fact that these were Akane's underclothes, and what was more, that she had been wearing them herself earlier that day. The thought did very, very strange things to his stomach. Hoping that he could stop thinking about it, he quickly pulled Akane's street clothes out of her bag, essentially duplicates of the ones he had worn earlier himself. He pulled them on just as Ryoga started to wake up.

Akane gave a perfunctory knock on the door and walked back into the dressing room. Ryoga immediately began growling at 'Ranma.' She looked at him askance and then asked, "Are you ready to go?"

Before Ranma could answer one of the walls bulged inward. It shattered to reveal a Chinese girl holding two chui, with a hard, set expression on her face. She pointed one of the maces at Ranma, standing there in his female form, and declared, "Ranma! I kill!"

Three voices cried out, "Shampoo!" although one of them came out as "Bwee!"

It briefly occurred to Ryoga to wonder how Shampoo had recognized Ranma in his male form, but he had no time to worry about it. In all of his scheming he hadn't stopped to imagine that Akane might be present when Shampoo attacked. What if she got hurt? He had to protect her! Ryoga leaped off the counter and sped out of the hole Shampoo had made, searching desperately for a source of hot water so that he could go back and save his Akane.

* * *

**Author's note:**

There will presumably be a pause of at least a couple of months before I post the next chapter and we discover what happens with Shampoo. I have a couple of other stories/chapters I want to post first, and in any case I have not yet written the first draft of chapter 8.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	8. Kiss of the Amazon

**Side by Side  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Sequel to _Togetherness_. Alternate universe story in which Ranma and Akane are cursed to change into duplicates of one another.

* * *

**Chapter 8. Kiss of the Amazon**

Shampoo's eyes started to follow the pig, but her trained reflexes took over and her eyes immediately snapped back to her enemy. She did pause a moment to wonder how Ryoga had gotten here before her, but set the thought aside as irrelevant to her current need. Obviously his attack had been thwarted when he was changed into his cursed form, failing to kill Ranma as she had hoped. Therefore it was time to fulfill her pledge and, without further ado, she stepped forward swinging her chui.

Like Shampoo, Ranma started to follow Ryoga's departure with his eyes, but immediately returned his attention to the Chinese girl as she launched her attack. He ducked the weapon which swept past his head to punch through another wall. Rising again, he grabbed a large towel off a nearby chair. Then, as Shampoo swung again, he leaped into the air and dropped that towel over Shampoo's face. Taking advantage of his opponent's brief moment of blindness, Ranma spun instantly for the locker in the room and ... collided with Akane, who was standing in front of it, still in her male form.

Ranma grabbed Akane with both arms and started to yank her to the side, but realized in the same instant that he no longer had time to duck into the locker without being seen. Without delaying for further thought, he leaped aside through the hole Shampoo had made, taking Akane outside with him.

Shampoo was right on their heels.

At least they ended up outdoors, which provided Ranma with a lot more room to dodge. As he danced around, avoiding blows, the pseudo-girl tried to think of some means of ending this. The problem was that he really didn't want to knock a girl unconscious, but anything less was unlikely to stop Shampoo from attacking while he made his escape. The knowledge that Akane was hovering around the edge of the battle distracted him. She was clearly ignoring his caustic shouts to stay out of it. Ranma could see that Shampoo was keeping one eye on the, to her, strange boy but was not really paying a lot of attention to Akane. Shampoo's focus was almost entirely on himself, and her face was grim.

* * *

By some miracle, Ryoga found his way back to the skating rink.

The man who had served as announcer for the match still sat at the same table, writing on a small tablet. He was drinking tea, deeply absorbed in his thoughts, while making notes on the event. Those notes would form the basis for the article he intended to write for the school paper, but in his imagination he was also picturing a byline in the city newspaper.

Recognizing the table upon which he had so recently been chained, the little pig wasted no time ducking underneath the tablecloth covering it. With a great feeling of relief, he saw that his pack was still present, right where Ranma, the jerk, had shoved it. All he had to do was change back, get dressed, then go save his wonderful Akane.

The pig looked around in sudden panic as it dawned on him that no one had bothered to store any hot water under the table.

The would-be journalist was scribbling madly, a particularly apt phrase tripping off his pen, when he saw the small form zip by. He sat blankly for a moment, wondering if the blur had been a figment of his imagination.

Ryoga was running around and around in a small circle under the table, trying to think what to do.

Finally deciding to take a look, the announcer slowly bent down, tentatively lifting the tablecloth at this feet.

Ryoga jerked to a stop as he suddenly called to mind the image of the man above him. He was drinking hot tea! Smacking himself in the forehead with a hoof, the pig darted out the front side of the table just as the cloth was lifted at the back. He jumped up. One quick hoof on the edge of the tea cup to splash himself with hot tea, and the naked boy was rolling off the table and back underneath.

A sound from above and a flash of tanned flesh caused the announcer to straighten up again, too late to get more than a confused impression of a person before Ryoga was out of sight. The man looked down as louder rustling sounds came from the vicinity of his feet and bent forward once more. Before he could lift the cloth, a young man burst out dressed in well worn garments and carrying a huge pack on his back. The boy shouted something indecipherable and disappeared through the door.

The man sitting at the table bent down a third time and slowly lifted the cloth. There was nothing underneath to be seen.

Ryoga knew that there was no time to waste. The moment he flung the doors wide and ran through them, he grabbed the nearest boy, who happened to be wearing a school uniform. Without concern for the pale features of the boy he held, Ryoga shouted his demand, "Take me around the outside of the school until we find a big hole in the wall!"

The boy stared at him, shell-shocked.

Ryoga's grip tightened painfully. "Now!" he yelled.

Thoroughly confused but reacting to the pain, the student ran for the outside door. Ryoga trailed along, hanging on as if to a lifeline. Once outside, they began to circle around the school. As soon as they passed the first corner, Ryoga saw Shampoo, Ranma and Akane fighting in front of him. Not bothering to thank his guide, Ryoga immediately let go and ran toward the three people.

‹Ohmigod!› Ryoga screamed inside his mind. ‹Shampoo's attacking Akane! She must've got between Shampoo and that bastard Ranma!›

Akane darted in, striking at one of Shampoo's arms. The Chinese girl pulled it out of the way at the last moment, and brought her other arm around to knock the annoying male aside. Akane gave an 'eep,' dropped and rolled, and the chui passed harmlessly overhead.

An instant later, Shampoo expelled a loud 'oof' as a foot drove into her side from behind, knocking her through the air. She lost hold of one of the chui, which flew into a bench, demolishing it. The Chinese martial artist did a somersault and spun back, brandishing her remaining weapon, to see the boy she had traveled with standing in front of her, fists raised.

"Ryoga?" she gasped.

Ranma and Akane stared, astounded. When had Shampoo met Ryoga? Ranma, however, didn't pause to seek answers. An unexpected diversion had been granted them, and he wasn't going to throw the opportunity away. Grabbing Akane's hand, he took off at a run.

"You're supposed to kill Ranma!" Ryoga yelled. "Why are you attacking Akane?"

"Stupid person get in way!" Shampoo shouted back. Inside, she reflected that Akane must be the name of the male who had interfered. A rather tasty specimen of the gender, she now thought, although she'd been too preoccupied to notice at the time. The boy must be a friend of Ryoga's, Shampoo concluded.

"Akane is my ...!" Ryoga paused for only a second. "My friend! Stick to killing Ranma!"

"Tell this Akane not get in Shampoo way again!" the girl shouted back. Then she noticed the pair disappearing in the distance. "Ahh! Ranma get away!" She started to run after, only to have Ryoga step in her way.

"First promise you'll leave Akane alone!" he demanded.

"Get out Shampoo way!" she shouted, swinging her chui with intent. Ryoga failed to evade it, riding the blow but knocked aside all the same. Shampoo took off running, stooping to pick up her other mace along the way. Ryoga was hot on her heels at first, but after a couple of minutes Shampoo noticed that the following footsteps behind her disappeared. A glance over her shoulder showed that her pursuer was gone, and she shook her head in exasperation. No doubt he was lost again.

Unfortunately, Ranma was nowhere in sight. What's more, Shampoo realized she was just as lost, having no idea where she was just at the moment. Fortunately for her, she was no Ryoga, and she already had the address of the Tendo home where Ranma was supposed to be found. Accosting an innocent passerby, she soon had directions, and marched off quickly wearing a determined expression.

Two blocks from her destination, Shampoo saw a panda bear shuffling down the street ahead of her. In a flash she recalled Ranma's pet panda from China and smiled grimly. She hefted her weapons in preparation.

Genma had a sensation that he was being followed and peeked over his shoulder. It only took the one glance to spot Shampoo, her weapons out and ready, and a dangerous tilt to her smile. Nervously he continued along the sidewalk, turning in at the gate, glad that this was his son's problem and not his own.

Akane and Ranma had just emerged from the furoba, where they had made use of the hot water to revert to their true bodies, when they heard a shout from down the hallway. "Where Ranma?" Both recognized Shampoo's voice, and turned to one another with a grimace.

"Now what?" Akane asked.

"Run away?" Ranma suggested.

Akane appeared to consider this for a moment before shaking her head. "For how long? She knows where you live now. We need to think of something else."

Ranma, feeling frustrated, resisted this idea for a few seconds, trying to think of an alternative. Finally he nodded grudgingly. After all, even if he could run off for days or weeks, this was Akane's home, and Shampoo wanted to kill a person who looked like Akane.

"Okay," Ranma said, not sounding at all happy about it. "I'll go out there like this and see if I can ... well, I suppose, reason with her. Not that I think much of my chances. You need to hide though."

"Huh?" Akane responded, then her features clouded. "I can take care of myself."

The boy standing beside her gripped his hair as if planning to tear it out. "Of all the stubborn ... tomboys," he grunted, half under his breath. Akane's features grew even darker, but before she could say anything Ranma rounded on her. "Look. You want me to try talking to her, right? Well, how much talking do you think is gonna happen if she sees you? She's here to _kill_ this person, remember?" he growled, pointing at her face, his fingertip a millimeter from her nose. "So you will ..." He stopped, clenching his teeth, barely avoiding the foolish mistake of making it an order. His teeth still clenched, he finished with, "So would you, _pretty_ please, stay out of sight while I try?"

Akane looked like she had swallowed something nasty, but nodded. They quickly stepped out the back door, and Ranma gave her a boost up to her bedroom window. Akane quickly stepped over to her door and opened it a crack, to try to listen in.

Ranma stepped back inside hurriedly, then made his way down the hall to where the commotion was growing more intense. There he found Shampoo confronting Kasumi, Nabiki and Soun, while his father lay quietly beside the table in his panda form.

The three Tendo's gasped on seeing him, casually strolling into the room where a girl brandishing weapons was demanding his presence. As nonchalantly as he could, Ranma inquired, "What's up?"

Shampoo pointed her mace in his direction. "You Akane, right? Where hide Ranma? Shampoo must kill!"

The other three present were looking even more confused now. Even Ranma was a bit confused, finding himself addressed as Akane, but let it ride. "I'm afraid she's not here right now, so why don't you sit down and relax? You're Shampoo, right? Ranma's told me a few things about you."

"Must find Ranma!" Shampoo insisted.

The boy shrugged, desperately hiding his nervousness. "From what I've been told, you've been looking for her for a month and a half. What's a few minutes more? Can't you at least explain why you're so dead set on killing her?" He knelt beside the table.

Shampoo ground her teeth over the delay, especially as she was a little worried that its purpose might be to give Ranma time to escape. Still, her foe would have to come back home eventually, wouldn't she? It wasn't like Shampoo had any idea where better to seek Ranma. With a huff, the Amazon warrior collapsed to sit across from Ranma.

Ranma turned to the others and eased their confusion by giving them a rough outline of what had happened in Shampoo's village that day, explaining that "Ranma" had told him the whole story. Soun and Kasumi wore enlightened expressions afterward, while Nabiki scowled in Ranma's direction. She had worked out the implications of Ranma's curse instantly, and wasn't at all happy with the thought that this Chinese girl would try to kill her little sister on sight.

Ranma turned back to the girl on the other side of the table. "Okay, so maybe she ate some o' your food and knocked you off a log. Don't you think you're overreacting? Like I already asked, why're you so mad to kill Ranma that you'd follow her all the way here? How'd you even find this place?"

Shampoo stared down at her knees darkly, overwhelmed by melancholy. For the thousandth time she called herself a fool for setting her feet on this path, but it was too late now. "Kiss of Death is vow. Must carry out. Go home in failure is big shame. Shampoo cannot do that."

Ranma winced, understanding oaths. "It's just ... Ranma's death or your shame ... all over a tableful of food. It seems so ... stupid."

Shampoo closed her eyes in pain, hearing the echo of her own thoughts spoken aloud. "Stupid, smart, not matter. Too late. Shampoo swore vow."

"That's so sad to hear," Kasumi said sweetly. "Would you like some tea? It might make you feel better."

Shampoo turned to the girl who had spoken, eyebrows arched to hear such an offer from a member of the household of the person she was sworn to kill. At first she was suspicious, but the feeling ebbed under the cheerful smile which somehow seemed to warm the room. The conviction grew upon Shampoo that the offer was honestly meant. "Er, thank you. That very nice."

The sound of splashing water came from the other side of the table, accompanied by a startled yip. Shampoo spun back at the unexpected sound. Her eyes widened at the sight in front of her.

* * *

Several minutes earlier, Ryoga Hibiki had been walking down an unknown street, feeling an ever increasing desperation as he worried that Shampoo might find Ranma and Akane before he did. Not that he was worried about Ranma. It was the possibility of injury to Akane which was gnawing at him.

How could he have been so stupid? He didn't like thinking about it, but he knew that Akane spent considerable time in Ranma's company. She was so kindhearted that _naturally_ she would try to interfere when Shampoo attacked Ranma. Ryoga lashed at himself for not having foreseen the sequence of events which would lead to Shampoo trying to strike down Akane first, as a hindrance to her true goal of killing Ranma. If anything happened to Akane, he would never forgive himself. Or Ranma.

The boy stumbled to a stop, leaning against a lamppost. It was hopeless, hopeless! The idea that he could find his way to the Tendo home, unaided, was just foolish. That last thought, however, caused Ryoga to open his eyes and lift his head, as if scenting prey. True, he might not find his way "unaided," but ...

Ryoga spun around, looking over the pedestrians who shared the street. Grabbing a nearby man, he practically shouted, "Am I still in Nerima?"

"Uh ... yes?" the stranger responded, wondering at the boy's sanity.

Not yet breathing easily, Ryoga demanded, "Do you know where the Tendo's live?"

The man was now sure this boy must have escaped from someone's care. "Uh, yes, of course. I'm a neighbor."

Ryoga now allowed himself to grin maniacally. "Can you take me to their home? It's important! Really important!"

Silently, expressionlessly, the man lifted an arm and pointed across the street. Ryoga looked. The sign on the wall read, in large characters, "Tendo Dojo." He spun back, shook the man's hand vigorously while proclaiming his thanks, then ran across the street.

Ryoga jumped over the wall rather than taking time to open the gate, but then he paused. He certainly didn't want to explain to Akane that he was involved with Shampoo's recent attack on her. Perhaps he should try to find out first whether Ranma had returned here, and whether anyone present knew where Shampoo was right now. He stepped lightly along the engawa, not making any noise, wondering whether it might be better to reconnoiter first as P-chan.

He heard voices. Ranma, calmly asking why Shampoo wanted to kill him so badly. Shampoo answering. Also calm. Why wasn't she attacking? Didn't she recognize him? Hadn't she been fighting him in his male form outside of the school? Ranma was explaining how he had come to be the subject of Shampoo's vow to kill him. The conviction grew on Ryoga that, despite what he had witnessed at the school, Shampoo didn't realize that this was Ranma in front of her. She still didn't recognize him in his male form.

So apparently Ranma was toying with her, Ryoga thought to himself. Confident in the fact that she didn't recognize him, he was innocently speaking as if the one she wanted to kill were not sitting across the table. Ryoga clenched his fists. It just wasn't fair! Absently his eye noted a pail of water sitting at his feet, a cloth draped across its rim. Peacefully, almost mechanically, he reached down and lifted the pail.

He stepped past the end of the shoji, targeted Ranma, and threw the water. All in an instant, without pausing for thought. Ranma gave out a small yelp of sound, and the transformation took him.

Ryoga dropped the pail from nerveless fingers, eyes bulging at the impossible sight.

Shampoo spun around, eyes locking on her sworn enemy. "Ranma! I kill!" She leapt across the table. Ranma leaped away, out over the engawa, across the yard and over the wall. Shampoo was right behind him.

"A-A-A-Akane?" Ryoga stuttered.

"May I ask why you did that?" Nabiki inquired curiously, one eyebrow raised. The others in the room were also staring at him questioningly.

"He ... He looked just like Akane!" Ryoga stated unnecessarily, instead of answering.

"Yes, that's his cursed form," Nabiki said bitingly. "I admit, it's a remarkable resemblance. Which doesn't explain why you splashed him. Now how about answering the question, numbskull!"

"I'd like to hear the answer to that as well." Ryoga looked across the room. Akane was standing there, virtually an identical image of Ranma who had just run off, barring the fact that Ranma had been soaking wet. Though there was another difference as well. This Akane was giving him a hard, almost menacing, look just at the moment.

Ryoga swallowed. "He ... he was just teasing Shampoo. Leading her on. Letting her think ... He deserved it!"

Akane tilted her head, walking closer. "You know that she plans to kill him, don't you?"

The boy looked away, baring his teeth. "So ... so do I! He made my life hell! He deserves to suffer for it!"

Akane's expression hardened further. "Do you really mean that? Would you really feel better, knowing that Ranma was dead?" She paused, then went on. "Ranma was hoping he could talk Shampoo out of this quest. You do know that if she sees me, she's going to try to kill me. How will that make you feel?"

Ryoga turned back to her, agony in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Akane-san! I didn't know! I'll stay here, I'll protect you, I swear!"

Akane shook her head. "You seem to know Shampoo from somewhere. I won't ask if it has anything to do with her being here right now." Ryoga felt as if she'd just plunged a dagger into his heart, but she continued speaking. "If you really want to protect me, then find Shampoo. Talk to her. Convince her to give up this madness and go back home. That's the only 'protection' I want from you."

Ryoga dropped his eyes. "I ... for you. Not Ranma. I'll do it for you." Without further delay he ran off in the direction in which Ranma and Shampoo had left, although he was puzzled by the sight of the gate as he jumped over it, since he didn't remembering seeing the gate when Ranma and Shampoo leapt over the wall.

As he ran, Ryoga worried over the notion that Ranma's cursed form looked so much like Akane. He nearly chewed through his lip while wondering if any of the other times he'd seen Akane, it might have been Ranma instead. With sudden enlightenment, he remembered the night in the changing room, when he'd seen Akane and a girl he took to be her twin sister. The boy regretfully told himself he would have to be very careful when approaching Akane in the future, to confirm that it really was her and not his hated rival.

Strange. Where did all of these trees come from?

* * *

Back at the Tendo home, Akane was explaining a little more of the story which she claimed Ranma had told her. She also told them of the incident after the skating match and the fight outside the school, which Ryoga had unexpectedly interrupted.

A sudden crack of thunder caused them all to jump a little. Without warning rain started to sheet down from the sky. Akane sighed for Ranma's sake, running around somewhere out there in the rain, unless, of course, he'd found someplace to hole up. Not that it would be a further factor as far as his curse was concerned, since he'd already changed to female form.

"Going back to this Ryoga guy getting in the middle of your fight," Nabiki said, drawing everyone's attention back from the pouring rain. "He made it clear that he wanted to protect you. I also remember him wanting to be your partner in the skating match. Has it occurred to you that someone might have a wee bit of a crush? Hmm?" She was grinning as she finished.

Akane blushed, a hue which only deepened as Kasumi gave her a gentle smile as well. "Th-That's ridiculous! He's just concerned! Because he had something to do with Shampoo showing up here!"

"Doesn't explain the skating match," Nabiki pointed out.

Akane turned away to look outside again, crossing her arms. She knew better than to allow Nabiki to draw her into these verbal exchanges.

Then her father stepped in with, "Akane, I forbid you to date this Ryoga. You must marry Ranma!"

His daughter rolled her eyes. "I have no intention of dating Ryoga! Or anyone else! And I'm certainly not marrying Ranma! You ..."

She broke off. There, right in front of her eyes, Ranma went running along the top of the wall. Shampoo was about three paces behind, holding one of her chui aloft in two hands. Idly Akane wondered what had become of the other one. As they passed by, Akane made up her mind, jumping to her feet. She ran outside, immediately changing into a boy as the rain washed across her. Leaping atop the wall, she set off in pursuit of the rapidly disappearing figures.

She caught up with them in a parking lot, where Shampoo had literally cornered Ranma. He was standing in a corner, where two tall walls of a building met. Shampoo was standing before him, her weapon held horizontally, slowly stalking in closer. Akane could see that Ranma was speaking rapidly, but couldn't hear him over the rain, until she drew closer.

"... Can't we be friends? Why you gotta kill me?"

Shampoo was ignoring the words. Just as Akane came up behind her she swung her chui, but Ranma, agile as ever, jumped over her head and ran. He didn't stop to worry about Akane, standing there, as he figured she should be safe enough in her male form. Shampoo spun around to pursue.

Akane realized that the noise of the rain striking the pavement had masked her approach and that the Chinese girl could have no idea that she was standing right there. As Shampoo spun around, Akane took advantage of this fact to disarm her, kicking at the weapon and breaking through its wooden handle. As Shampoo stared wildly at the boy who had appeared out of nowhere, the metal ball spun a few times in the air and then came back down.

Right on top of Shampoo's head.

She slumped to the ground, out cold, like a marionette whose strings had been cut. Akane knelt beside her, suddenly frightened, fingers pressing against the lump on the top of her head. Ranma appeared at her side soundlessly, looking just as worried, and also pressed against the skull.

"Doesn't feel like it's fractured," Ranma announced, relief clear in his voice.

Akane looked into her own face beside her. "Are you sure?" she asked quietly, seeking reassurance.

"Yeah. She'll probably wake up in a minute." He sighed. "We got an even bigger problem now, though. You just defeated her. Looking like me. She's gonna be after us in our male forms as well."

Akane winced, squeezing her eyes shut, knowing that he was right. "What should we do?"

Ranma put a finger to his lips as if considering. "First thing we do is get the hell out of here. _Before_ she wakes up."

Beside him, speaking with his own voice, Akane declared, "We can't do that! We don't know how badly she's hurt. We can't just abandon her!"

"Yeah, but ..." He groaned. "Too late."

Akane looked down. Shampoo stirred and opened her eyes, then rose up on one elbow. Ranma rocked back onto his heels, prepared to leap to his feet and run. The Chinese martial artist looked around in a daze for a few seconds, then her features firmed and her eyes locked on Akane. She smiled, making Akane suddenly nervous.

Faster than the eye could follow, Shampoo was kneeling in front of Akane. She wrapped the boy with the ponytail in her arms and, before either Akane or Ranma could begin to guess at her intention, pressed her lips firmly against Akane's. ‹At least my future husband is very strong and handsome,› Shampoo thought to herself happily.

Akane's arms windmilled while Ranma stared on in shock. Akane's mind was breaking into pieces, screaming at her to get away from the pervert who was violating her. Finally getting enough control to take effective action, Akane put her arms on Shampoo's shoulders and shoved the two of them apart.

Shampoo looked up through half lowered eyelids. "Wo ai ni, airen."

"Gaaah!" screamed Akane, rubbing furiously at her lips as she jumped to her feet. Still shrieking, she turned and ran.

Shampoo jumped to her feet as well, to pursue her strangely shy groom-to-be. Ranma stuck a foot out and tripped her, causing her to land face down in a large puddle. Ranma hightailed it after Akane. Shampoo struggled up with murder in her eyes, looked around for her weapon, saw it lying in two pieces, then spun back and took off running herself.

Running as fast as he could, Ranma caught up with Akane just as he came around a corner. Wrapping his arms around her, he dragged her through a door into a diner. Not wasting a second, he jumped across the counter, dragging Akane with him, clapping a hand over her mouth where she was still trying to shriek her disgust.

The waiter standing behind the counter stared down incredulously at the two teenagers at his feet. The boy lying on the floor seemed to be trying to yell, although no words could be made out. The girl lying on top of him had her hand pressed over his mouth, trying to keep him quiet. Outside, a girl with long purple hair trailing behind her ran by.

"Akane! _Akane_!" Ranma yelled.

Akane's eyes opened, to see her own concerned face looking down at her. Her howls slowly subsided to whimpers.

"You gonna be okay now?" Ranma asked, worried. His hand still covered her mouth.

Akane seemed to think about this, then nodded fractionally. Ranma slowly removed his hand and lifted his body off of the boy below him.

"She ... she ... _kissed_ me!" Akane spluttered.

The waiter wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. All that fuss and noise, because some girl kissed this boy? The young man started moving away from the strange pair, taking small, quiet steps.

"Yeah, um, sorry," Ranma said. He glanced over his shoulder. "You think we could head home now? I think we're freaking out some people, and Shampoo must've missed us coming in here."

Akane gave another small nod and climbed to her feet, shooting an apologetic look in the waiter's direction. Together they scrambled back across the counter, then left through the door, back out in the rain once more. Akane walked along with head bowed and shoulders slumped, hands shoved deep into her pockets. Ranma attempted to jolly her into a better mood, but was met with stony silence.

The two teenagers snuck in through the back gate, hoping to determine whether Shampoo had returned before she spotted them. Going in through the back door, Akane pulled Ranma straight into the furoba. Ignoring his protests, she dragged him right up to the furo before she finally let go. Dropping to her knees Akane plunged her head into the hot water, pulling it back out in her female body once more, whipping her head around and flinging water in a wide circle. Which served to draw further protests from Ranma. She then slumped down to sit with her back against the side of the furo.

Ranma quickly returned to his own male gender, then squatted down beside Akane, waiting to see what she would say. When no words emerged immediately, he offered, "Want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Akane grumped. Then she sighed. "I guess I have a better idea how you felt when that pervert Sanzenin kissed you."

"Oh man," Ranma groaned, burying his face in his knees. "I did _not_ need to be reminded of that."

"Yeah, that's pretty much how I feel right now," Akane told him unhappily. "It was just, like, so _wrong_. Why did she do that? She was supposed to kiss me on the cheek and threaten to _kill_ me! God, I wish she'd done that instead!"

Ranma couldn't help himself. He sniggered. Akane slapped him across the back of the head, changing the snigger to a yelp of pain.

"Sorry," Ranma apologized, settling back. "Just the idea that you'd rather she tried to kill you than kiss you."

"Hmmph," snorted Akane. Her mouth twisted wryly. "I'm sorry for what I said back that time. In the dojo. About not being able to keep Sanzenin from doing that. Guess I didn't do any better when it was my turn." She gave another long sigh. "I suppose it could have been worse, though."

"Oh?"

Akane's face grew rosy, and she turned away from him a little. "Something else you said that time. At least it wasn't my first kiss. That would have made it a lot worse."

"Oh." Ranma joined her in blushing. With a sense of deja vu he remembered that when he'd said that, saying he was glad what Sanzenin had done hadn't been his first kiss, they'd both blushed that time as well. He also remembered what he'd done shortly after in the dojo, the feel of Akane in his lap, and the vivid dream from later that night.

"You ... you won't tell anyone, will you?" Akane asked nervously. "About Shampoo kissing me, I mean? I just, I don't want ... people thinking I'd ..."

"It's okay," Ranma promised. "It's our secret. I won't tell anyone." He smiled wistfully as Akane released a soft breath in relief.

Ranma took a look around himself, before asking, "How long we gonna hide in here, anyway?"

"I dunno," Akane answered. Then, sounding hopeful, she suggested, "Until Shampoo goes back to China?"

"Mmm," Ranma considered, "I think some people might complain about us hogging the room before then. How about I go out and scout around? At least it seems like Shampoo ain't intending to kill us when we're guys."

Akane's eyes narrowed. "Oh? And are you hoping she'll give _you_ a kiss like that?"

He let his eyebrows lift. "Whatsa matter? Jealous?" As her scowl deepened he added, "No, I ain't planning to kiss her. The Kiss of Death has already caused enough trouble." He paused, touched a finger to his chin, looked thoughtful. "She is pretty cute, though, isn't she?"

He managed to duck just before Akane's fist clobbered him. Laughing, he ran through the door, but failed to shut it before a pail collided with the back of his head. Muttering good-humoredly while rubbing the spot, he slid the door to the inner room shut, then stepped out into the hall with all senses on the alert.

Ranma tentatively peeked around the doorway into the family room, where he saw with relief only the people who should be present. Kasumi was the first to notice him, as she finished placing some dishes on the table and stood back up.

"Oh, good, Ranma-kun, I'm glad you're back home! I was just putting supper on the table. Is Akane with you?"

"Uh, yeah," he answered, then hooked his thumb over his shoulder. "She's back in the furoba, changing back to a girl and drying off. Shampoo isn't anywhere around is she?"

"Nope," Nabiki told him. "Haven't seen her since Akane took off after the two of you earlier. You managed to lose her, eh?"

"Temporarily," Ranma sighed. "I still got no idea how we're gonna get rid of her permanently. She seems pretty determined." He turned and yelled down the hall. "Hey, Akane! Looks like the coast is clear!"

* * *

Shampoo was walking down some street somewhere, fatigued from all of the running and fighting she'd been doing that day. She was also feeling incredibly frustrated. Not only had she so far failed to carry out her mission to kill Ranma, but she had also lost track of her new airen Akane. The thought of the handsome boy to whom she'd made her marriage promise made the young Chinese woman feel very warm inside every time she remembered that moment. A pity that he seemed to be so very shy.

She had already decided to return to the Tendo home once more. However, this vicinity looked familiar, she was almost certain it was the place she had been chasing Ranma earlier. A little more searching might prove worthwhile. Was that the building? Shampoo crouched then jumped, landing on the roof of the shop. She gave a smile of satisfaction on finding what she was looking for, as she picked up her chui. It made her feel better to have its weight in her grip, as well as to know that she had recognized the place where Ranma had thrown it earlier during one of their brief scuffles.

Jumping back down, Shampoo stopped a startled passerby. Upon getting directions to the address of the Tendo home, she took off at a trot once more.

Determined to try to catch Ranma by surprise, Shampoo did not announce her presence as she jumped over the wall. She crept stealthily along the side of the building to the doors which were open to the outside. The conversation which drifted out, accompanied by small clattering and tinkling sounds, indicated that the family was probably eating their evening meal. With a grim smile, Shampoo jumped around the door and into the room, holding her mace aloft.

Unfortunately, for a moment she didn't know which target to strike. There in front of her were two nearly identical backs, both wearing the Chinese shirts which her enemy Ranma and her airen Akane both affected. Both shirts were the same blue color she remembered from earlier, but only now noticed how identical they appeared. Both of them were wearing their hair in ponytails of the same length, tied at both the top and the bottom.

The combination of the noise behind them and the startled expressions in front of them caused Ranma and Akane to leap to their feet, spinning around as they did so. Ranma was faster however, exclaiming "Shampoo!" as the girl came into his field of vision.

Shampoo gave a glad cry of "Airen!" at what she saw as happy recognition on the face of her future husband. Dropping her weapon she threw her arms around him, hugging him close. Thus she failed to see his foot kick out behind him, connecting lightly with the girl beside whom he had been sitting. Akane gave Ranma a megawatt glare, but took the hint and scampered out of the room before Shampoo went back into kill mode.

Soun stood up, his face slowly waxing demonic at the sight of his daughter's fiancé being hugged by the beautiful Chinese girl. "Son? What exactly is the meaning of this?"

"Oh my!" Kasumi put in. "You didn't tell us that Shampoo is your girlfriend."

Ranma, trying to wiggle free of the embrace, turned his head to protest. "You got the wrong idea."

Nabiki looked over the girl rubbing herself against Ranma, eyebrows slowly rising. "Doesn't look like Kasumi's so wrong from where I'm sitting. You certainly seem to be enjoying yourself there."

"I am not!" Ranma cried, while trying to convince a certain treacherous appendage to ignore the soft flesh rubbing against it. He finally managed to pull his arms free, took hold of Shampoo's upper arms, and pushed them apart and himself away. He collapsed quickly to his knees, claiming, "I don't know what's gotten into her!"

"Akane is Shampoo's airen," the girl said with a smile.

"Wh-what exactly are you trying to say," Ranma stuttered nervously, wondering once again where she'd gotten the idea that his name was Akane.

In answer, Shampoo pulled out a book and pointed to it. Soun gingerly reached out and took it from her, acting as if it might bite him. He opened it and began flipping through the pages.

"What's it say?" Ranma asked.

Soun looked up with tears in his eyes, and slammed the book down onto the tabletop. "How should I know? I can't read Chinese!"

Nabiki picked the book up herself, and after flipping past a couple of pages, said, "The Joketsuzoku Sutra. Let's see ... death threats, proper dress, naming conventions, ah, laws concerning outsiders." She flipped further back into the book.

"You know how to read Chinese?" Ranma asked, surprised.

"Of course not," she responded absently. "It contains a Japanese translation as well."

Ranma turned to glare at her father, who turned the other way, trying to look innocent. His nervous chuckle gave him away, however.

"Okay, let's see," Nabiki said, drawing everyone's attention back to her. "In the event that a female warrior is defeated by an outsider, if her opponent is a woman, tradition declares that she gives her the Kiss of Death and then kills her. However, if her opponent is a man, then tradition instead states that she give him the Kiss of Marriage and make him her husband."

"What?!" came a strangled cry from somewhere outside the room.

"Oh my!" Kasumi declared.

Soun smiled in relief. "Oh, well, there's no problem then. Ranma is already engaged to Akane. He can't get engaged to some other girl."

The girl in question shook her head. "Airen must marry Shampoo. Ranma no matter. Shampoo kill Ranma."

Ranma held up a finger. "Er, there's a little problem with that. You seem to have gotten the mistaken ..."

Nabiki interrupted. "Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Does that mean you kissed Ran-" She paused, then pointed to Ranma. "... this guy here?"

Shampoo's head bounced up and down in a happy nod. She promptly glomped onto Ranma again, hugging him fiercely.

"But it wasn't ... I didn't ..." Before going any farther, Ranma flashed back to a short while before, promising Akane that he wouldn't reveal that Shampoo had kissed her. He clamped his mouth shut on any protest that he wasn't the one Shampoo had kissed. He finished up with the far weaker, "I didn't know about any of this!"

"So you _did_ kiss her!" Soun shouted, going to full demon head. Shampoo cringed back at the sight, while Ranma ducked, hands over his head. Genma, who had been watching the proceedings placidly the entire time, ate another pickle.

Ranma took advantage of the distraction to dart out of the room. The moment he stepped out into the hall, he paused in surprise to see that Akane was standing just out of sight beyond the doorway. He had assumed that she would have the sense to be at least a little further away, despite the volume of the outcry he had heard from her a moment ago.

Shampoo ran through into the hall right behind him, but saw the other girl first. She ran back, grabbed her chui and returned. Akane had looked around the edge of the doorway as Shampoo ran back into the room, and now seeing her coming toward her lifting the weapon on high, Akane gave an "Eep!" and took off running. Shampoo gave chase.

"Aw hell!" Ranma exclaimed. He ducked into the kitchen and splashed himself with cold water while listening to feet running up the stairs. He followed as quickly as he could, taking the staircase to the second floor in one bound, and spotted Shampoo down at the end of the hall about to turn the corner. Lifting two fingers to his mouth he gave a piercing whistle, then called out "Yoohoo!" in a cheerful falsetto while waving his hand in greeting.

Shampoo turned her head at the sound, and skidded to a stop just before reaching the corner where the hall made a ninety degree turn. ‹How did Ranma ...? She was ...?› Shaking her head to clear it of such irrelevancies, Shampoo ran back toward Ranma as the girl disappeared back down the stairs.

Half an hour later Shampoo looked around herself, wondering where she was in Tokyo now. This was getting rather old. Ranma had given her the slip _again_, and once more she would have no choice but to get directions back to the Tendo home. She was also getting very weary. Not to mention hungry; she had not yet had her own dinner.

Deciding to remedy the last point first, the Amazon warrior walked on for several more minutes until she spotted a restaurant, then went in and ordered a meal. While waiting for it to arrive, she tried to decide what to do next.

‹Okay,› she thought, ‹Ranma and Akane both live in that house. I can either try to convince my airen to come back to China and marry me, or I can try to kill Ranma. But trying to do both just means I'm not getting either one done. I should settle one of them first, then take care of the other.›

‹So, which one first. Ideally, it would be better to kill Ranma, then I could take all the time I want to spend on Akane.› She sighed, foreseeing more endless and fruitless chases. ‹Not tonight though. I don't think I could stand another chase through this city tonight. They're too much like one of those cartoons I saw in the window of that television store. Killing Ranma can wait for tomorrow.›

She nodded to herself, pleased with the decision. Or at least her sore feet were pleased with it. ‹Tonight I'll focus on my airen. Except he seems to be running away too. Is he really that shy?› She thought some more. ‹Best to handle this so he can't run away so easily.› She gave herself another firm nod.

At that point the waitress arrived with her meal, and Shampoo devoted herself to eating.

* * *

When Ranma returned home once more, he went straight up to Akane's room. He found her there, sitting on the edge of her bed, hands clasped between her knees. Akane looked up as Ranma came in and sat beside her, then asked the question she'd been pondering since he left, "What are we going to do?"

The two of them sat there in silence for a few minutes, looking like a pair of identical twins. Finally Ranma broke the silence, saying, "Right now I can't think of anything except to wait her out. But I'm the one she wants to kill. It ain't right for you to run that risk. I want you to change into a boy and stay that way. I'll pretend to be you, and you'll pretend to be me, until we can get rid of her."

Akane eyed him skeptically. "We tried that once before, remember? That stupid bet? We barely lasted a day."

Ranma squirmed. "Yeah, well ... we can tell our friends. If we know, and they know, and we tell 'em why, they won't be doing anything stupid to make it harder for us."

Akane shook her head. "No. I can defend myself. I'm not scared of Shampoo."

Ranma jumped to his feet, tugging at his hair. "Dammit! Why d'you gotta be so stubborn!" He paused for breath, but seeing Akane about to speak he made a chopping motion with his hand and said, "No! Lemme talk! You're gonna listen to what I have to say."

He took another deep breath, then said, "Listen. We both know you're good, but like it or not, I'm better. And I know you don't like me saying it!" he overrode the scowl on her face. "But that don't mean it ain't true! You know how I lived. I'm _used_ to my pop attacking me while I'm asleep. You ain't ever been attacked in your sleep, have you? What if Shampoo sneaks in here in the middle of the night? You got _any_ idea how I'd feel, the next morning, if I found you with your head crushed in?"

Akane almost made an angry retort, but the anguished look in Ranma's eyes stopped her. She looked down at her lap, struggling with her emotions.

"_I'm_ the one who was stupid enough to eat her prize, and challenge her to the fight that got me that Kiss of Death," he continued. "It's _my_ fault she wants to kill someone who looks the way we do right now. What do you think your father and sisters would say to me, if they found out I was letting you run around taking the risk of Shampoo attacking you? It's my fault, my duty ... _my fight_!"

His voice dropped, the words coming more quietly. "I know I bluster a lot. I like things to go my way. But you can usually make me cave in, if you argue loud enough. 'Cause you're my friend, and ... and I want us to stay friends. But I ain't giving in this time. I ain't gonna risk your life when I'm the one she's after. We're gonna do this my way, and if I hafta, I'll go and get your dad, and Kasumi, and Nabiki. How much you wanna bet they'll take your side in this?"

Akane had no answer for that, and so remained silent. She knew perfectly well her family would tell her that Ranma was the one who should run this risk. Still looking down, she mumbled, "You don't think I'm good enough to fight her and win."

Ranma winced. He took another deep breath and let it out. "Okay," he admitted in a shaky voice, "I guess ... it won't be easy but ... as soon as we get rid of Shampoo I'll start training you a lot harder. I promise."

Akane choked. That was _so_ not what she had expected to hear. He was going to train her _harder_ than he already was? That surely couldn't be possible, could it? The young martial artist didn't want to imagine what kind of training he could come up with that would be tougher than what they were already doing. The thought was considerably more frightening than anything Shampoo might do to her.

Taking her speechlessness as consent, Ranma said firmly, "So then, that's decided. You'd better go change, before Shampoo shows up again. She knows she can find us here."

Nodding absently, her mind elsewhere, Akane stood and walked across the floor. However, halfway to the door she stopped with one foot in midair. She slowly lowered it to the floor, and turned around equally slowly. Ranma looked up at her curiously, wondering what objection she would raise now.

"What about school?" Akane asked. "Are you planning to stay switched there? We're not having a convenient section on hygiene right now. We have to change in the locker rooms for gym."

Ranma crossed his arms. "Stop making excuses. We switched for gym class once before, or don't you remember getting hit by that baseball? Yeah, the locker rooms will be a hassle, but we'll manage." He pointed. "Get. This is my room for tonight. You'll be sleeping with pop."

"You just want to wear my clothes. Pervert."

Her twin pursed his lips, annoyed, but refused to allow himself to give in to anger. "You were the one who made the bet last time, when we pretended to be each other. You wore my clothes then. So if I'm a pervert, so are you. I don't know whether you're just trying to delay, or to start a fight, but either way it ain't gonna work." He pointed his finger at the door.

Akane gave him a black look, but stomped out of the room without saying anything else. Ranma pulled out Akane's books and started to read the assignment for tomorrow, glad that they didn't have anything to be turned in. He wondered if Akane would at least come by at some point to say good night, but she never did.

Eventually he looked up at the clock and noticed that it was past bedtime. It surprised him considerably that Shampoo hadn't shown up again, as he couldn't imagine what else she might be up to. ‹Well, she seemed to know Ryoga earlier. Maybe she ran into him and they got lost together.› Ranma smiled at the thought, though he didn't give it much credence.

The notion did bring Ryoga to mind, and Ranma sent up a silent prayer of thanks that the lost boy seemed to be lost at the moment. It would have been very uncomfortable if he had been forced to share the bed with the little pig. Maybe he really ought to have a talk with Akane about why she was allowing Ryoga to do that. Unfortunately, Ranma was already falling asleep as this idea occurred to him.

A couple of hours later, Shampoo stood on a sidewalk beside a street, contemplating a dark house.

* * *

Akane stared around herself at the blank walls of the room, walls uninterrupted by any windows, the light coming from some unknown source. There was only a single door, and she reached for it as irrational fear began to fill her. However the knob wouldn't turn, the door was locked. Yanking on the knob did no good, her kicks seemed robbed of force, doing no harm to the wood. She began to pound on it with her fists, screaming for someone to let her out.

A voice came from the other side. "Akane. I'm here."

The girl nearly wept in relief, not understanding why she was so scared. "Ranma! Thank God! Can you please get me out of here?"

Instead he responded, the pain evident in his voice, "Akane, why? Why did you let him in?"

"Huh? Who ..." She was interrupted as arms encircled her. Akane gasped as she spun around to find herself held by Ryoga, the boy pulling her into a tight embrace. She pressed her hands against his chest, pushing futilely against his strength. "Ryoga, stop! What are you doing?"

"Akane!" The voice from outside called louder.

Ryoga forced her tightly against his chest, ignoring the fists pounding on his back. "Ranma, help!" Akane screamed.

"Akane! Please let me in!" Ranma called back. "I warned you! Why didn't you listen?"

Warned her? Of what? When? She was being hugged so hard it was becoming difficult to breath. He seemed to have too many hands. They were touching her, pressing in intimate places. She struggled, wanting him to stop.

"You wanted me alone in your room with you," Ryoga whispered into her ear. An ear which he then proceeded to nuzzle against, in a manner much too reminiscent of how her pet had awakened her one morning. The mockery of the gesture disgusted Akane, and she increased her struggles to break free.

The room was filled with the sound of crashing blows raining upon the door as Ranma tried to break into the room. The clinging embrace, her inability to break free, were terrifying. "Ranma! Help! Please! Hurry!"

Suddenly Akane's eyes flew open, seeing the room filled with the gray light of dawn. It only took a moment to orient herself, recognizing the guest room in which Ranma and his father slept, hearing the older man's snores nearby. She now remembered changing to her male form and going to bed in here last night.

The nightmare from which she had awakened now seemed bizarre. Surely Ryoga would never try something like that, nor would she shut herself up alone in a room with him. She shuddered at the memory of the arms around her, the tight embrace ...

Wait! There really _were_ arms around her! Arms holding her in a tight grip! Who ...

* * *

**Author's note:**

Stay tuned for chapter 9, in which Ranma and Akane search for some way to convince Shampoo to give up and go home to China.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	9. Forget Me Not

**Side by Side  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Sequel to _Togetherness_. Alternate universe story in which Ranma and Akane are cursed to change into duplicates of one another.

* * *

**Chapter 9. Forget Me Not**

Akane awoke in panic, struggling in the coils of the by now too familiar nightmare involving Ryoga, the one where she was trapped in a room, maneuvered into a corner as he pressed closer. Only this time it was worse. This time he was holding her, touching her, caressing her. Awake, her panic grew exponentially upon finding that someone was indeed holding her tightly, with a grip like a vise. Despite the greater strength of her male form, Akane was unable to find the leverage to break free. She managed to crane her head around enough to see, first, a fall of purple hair, and then further to make out the face of the Chinese girl to whom the hair belonged, just in time to see Shampoo's barely opened eyes blinking with sleepy confusion.

At that moment she heard footsteps coming down the hall outside, only to hear them stop with damning abruptness right at the door. The door which she now remembered she had left open, so as not to be suffocated by the smell of panda. Akane's head whipped around to see Ranma standing there in her body, toothbrush in hand, jaw hanging down and eyes bugging out.

"This isn't what it looks like!" Akane hissed, succumbing to a panic quite different from that of her forgotten nightmare.

A soft whisper of "Good morning, airen!" came from Akane's side, followed by the feel of a body pressing up more closely against her.

Current male form notwithstanding, that was too much for the completely discommoded Akane. Giving utterance to a meaningless gasp of "Gaahh!" she finally managed to tear herself out of Shampoo's grasp and leapt to her feet. Panting from the adrenaline burst and holding one hand to her chest in the futile attempt to slow her heart rate, Akane saw that the panda was still sound asleep on the other futon. Her gaze quickly turned from Ranma's father back to Shampoo, who slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. The blanket falling into her lap revealing that the Chinese girl was wearing nothing whatsoever underneath. Shampoo finished with a wide stretch which left nothing to the imagination, her eyes holding Akane's horrified ones, a confident smile on her face as she gazed on the boy she planned to marry.

"Airen sleep very well, yes?" the girl asked.

Ranma finally found his voice. "You slept with Shampoo?" he asked, disbelieving.

Both girls spun toward him. Akane was protesting, "I did not! She must ..."

That was as far as she got. With a loudly shouted "Ranma! I kill!" Shampoo pulled her chui out from under the blanket and jumped to her feet.

Male enough even in female form to be momentarily stunned by the sight of the nude female body coming toward him, Ranma was too well trained to remain frozen for long when a weapon was being brandished. He was already turning on his heel even before he remembered the Chinese girl's deadly intentions. As that particular memory surfaced, he muttered a frustrated "Oh crap!" and took off running.

Shampoo responded with what was most likely a curse in her own language, as she snatched up her clothes from the floor where she had dropped them the previous night. Without even bothering to dress, she took off after Ranma, right on his heels, pulling the clothes on as she ran. She was no more than five paces behind her quarry as they ran through the gate out into the street, with Ranma still pajama clad and giving thanks that Akane didn't seem to go in for nighties.

In a daze Akane walked over to the doorway, wearing only boxers and a t-shirt. She bent over and lifted the discarded toothbrush from the floor, before groaning and leaning heavily against the wall. Burying her face in one hand with a whimper, she rhetorically asked the universe at large, "Why me?"

Not long after, having given Shampoo the slip and eaten breakfast, Ranma was running with Akane along the fence toward school. Ever since his return from the chase, Ranma had been giving Akane peculiar looks with raised eyebrows, and now she could feel his eyes burning into her from behind, knowing he was doing it again. Unable to stand it any longer she spun around, slowing to a walk, but continuing to move backward along the fence.

"Let's get one thing straight!" Akane said darkly. "Shampoo crawled into the bed without my knowing!"

Ranma gave her a completely innocent stare. "Did I _ask_ for any explanation?"

"I can tell what you're thinking!" she snarled.

One corner of Ranma's mouth lifted. "Sounds to me like someone has a guilty conscience," he suggested playfully.

"Ooh! You ...!" Frustrated, failing to note her friend's mischievous tone, Akane's backward stepping foot missed the fence. Ranma leaped forward and grabbed her hand, pulling her back up. Akane promptly showed her gratitude by twisting the hand, forcing Ranma to fall off the fence into the canal. Except that she didn't get her hand out of his grip in time and fell with him.

When his head broke the surface, Ranma glared up at the heavens. "We were already _in_ our cursed forms, dammit!"

Looking back down, he frowned as a couple of bubbles broke the surface. With a sigh the girl dove under, grabbed Akane, and tugged her to the bank. As they lay there gasping, Ranma commented, "I have _got_ to do something about teaching you to swim. With these curses, it's too damned dangerous not to know how."

Akane had been lying face down while she recovered from the terror of her immersion. Now she curled up, facing away from Ranma, not even hearing what he had said. Ranma reached a hand out tentatively, but before he could touch her Akane shouted, "Nothing happened! Shampoo and I are both girls!" She sounded like she was about to cry.

Ranma bit his lip. After a pause his hand continued toward her shoulder, still tentative, but he drew it back, then reached forward once again with more determination and touched the shoulder gently. "I know," he said softly. "It's the same kind of ridiculous situation I've gotten stuck in too many times in my life. I didn't know it was another curse that'd rub off on you. Only thing I can suggest is, if this sorta thing is gonna keep happening to you, you gotta develop a thicker skin about it."

She sat up and nodded, sniffling. Akane slowly pulled off her shirt and wrung water from it. When Ranma reached for the ties on his own shirt to do the same, Akane's hand flashed out and grabbed his wrist. She gave him a deathly stare, and whispered dangerously, "I want you to think very carefully about why you shouldn't take off that shirt."

"But it's wet!" he protested.

"That is a copy of _my_ body, and you are not going to flash everyone who happens to look! You'll have to wait until you can get into a restroom at school."

"A girls' restroom," he grumbled under his breath.

"It was your idea to stay switched," Akane reminded him acidly. "You think I'm happy about using the boys' room?"

Ranma decided to drop the subject. "C'mon, let's hurry. We're running late."

As they turned the last corner before reaching the high school, Tatewaki Kuno suddenly stepped out from behind a tree and threw a rose toward Ranma. "Ah, fair one. As soon as I dispatch this odious ..."

He got no further. Disdaining to wait for a challenge, Akane leapt into the air and kicked Kuno in the head, laying him out flat. She plucked his bokken out of midair where he'd released it, and speared it down into a public trash receptacle as her feet touched back down. Akane and Ranma ran on for the school, ignoring the figure behind them as he slowly struggled back to his feet.

Inside the school, Yuka and Sayuri observed their friend duck into the restroom, sopping wet. They followed close behind to get the story, just in time to see Ranma pull off his shirt and wring some water out of it.

"Good heavens, Akane, what happened?" Yuka asked earnestly. "Did you fall in the canal or something?"

"Yeah," Sayuri added. "And where'd you stop off for hot water this time? Doctor Tofu's again? You're lucky you weren't late this morning."

As Ranma shook the shirt out to pull it back on, he answered, "Good guess about the canal, wrong guess about the person. I'm Ranma."

The two pairs of eyes watching him both widened. Then Sayuri smiled slyly. "And look at you, just waltzing into the girls' room like it's nothing. I guess you're getting pretty comfortable about being a girl, eh?"

Ranma grimaced. "I ain't happy about it, and this ain't a joke. So no fooling around. There's a Chinese girl in town trying to kill me, except she thinks I look like Akane. If she's gonna attack anyone, I want it to be me."

"Oh!" Yuka paused thoughtfully. "Well, if she's after you then I agree you should be the one to take the risk. Still, if it's a question of killing ... maybe it's time you told people about the curse. That way you could both stay male."

Ranma gave her a pained look. "Neither Akane or me want anyone else to know about it. I can handle Shampoo - that's her name, believe it or not. But as a favor ... could you try not to make this harder than it has to be? 'Cause this is serious, and I remember last time."

Sayuri smirked. "But you would have looked so pretty with lavender fingernails." She laughed at his scowl. "Oh, don't worry. We'll be good." She paused for only a moment before adding, "Mostly."

The warning bell rang, whereupon Yuka turned serious. "We better hurry and get to class." She helped tuck in Ranma's shirt. "Remember to sit in Akane's desk. Remember to sit up and pay attention and take notes. Remember you're a girl when you're speaking, and for heaven's sake speak politely. Remember ..."

"I've done this before," Ranma interrupted gruffly.

Yuka rolled her eyes. "Yes, we remember. Quite vividly."

As they hurried out of the restroom, Ranma suggested, "Could one of you pass the word on to Hiroshi and Daisuke, quiet-like, just in case Akane don't get the chance? I'd rather neither of them said something careless to her and risk causing a scene. Akane's already kinda unhappy about the whole situation."

Both Yuka and Sayuri nodded. With that they slipped inside their homeroom and took their seats.

* * *

Shampoo was leaning on her remaining chui as she stood on the sidewalk at the side of the road, staring through the fence at the water moving past sluggishly below. By now Ranma, and Akane also, would be in school, and she didn't know where that was. The only person at their home was the clan head, Kasumi, who seemed a very nice person but evaded her questions when she asked about the school. The neighbors, who had no doubt witnessed several of the chases by now, were also being reticent. She could threaten of course, but she didn't want to risk running afoul of the local law before she could kill Ranma, and the one person she had so far behaved menacingly toward in order to force him into giving an answer had provided directions which turned out to be completely wrong.

It was beginning to look like she'd have to wait until late afternoon, when school let out and her quarry came home, before doing anything more. If she could come up with no other plan, then out of necessity that's what she would do, but the delay chafed at her. Ranma was turning out to be a superb fighter, and the worry was starting to set in that the girl would be able to avoid her fated destiny indefinitely. For Shampoo, the idea she might fail at her mission was, to put it mildly, unpalatable.

The Chinese girl began walking aimlessly, chewing on some of the "snack food" she had bought at a convenience store the previous evening while waiting for the right time to sneak back into the Tendo home. She reflected on the fact that her future husband certainly was shy, given the way he had jumped out of the bed that morning. It was also a bit puzzling that the pet panda was sleeping in his room - didn't it belong to Ranma?

Additionally, Shampoo was worrying over the fact that soon it would be time to send another update back home. She didn't relish informing everyone that she had found Ranma and chased her all over Tokyo several times already, and so far hadn't laid a finger on her. The young woman felt a brief spurt of fury while imagining the mockery and snide comments people would be making in the village. How could this have happened to her, of all people, immediately after becoming the champion? What had she done, for the universe to punish her so? Aside from deciding to give the Kiss of Death, of course. The fury subsided again, bleak melancholy threatening to douse the remaining embers of her anger.

At that moment someone stepped out of a shop doorway, nearly colliding with her. Shampoo shoved him aside at the last moment, exclaiming, "Stupid male! Look where walk!"

The boy spun around, yelping out a strangled, "Shampoo?! Why are you in Kyoto?"

She spun back to stare at Ryoga, wondering how she could have been so distracted not to notice whom she had shoved aside. Shampoo blew out a sharp breath, almost laughing at the boy's comment despite her mood.

"Silly Ryoga. You still in Tokyo. In Nerima."

Ryoga looked around himself, trying and failing to locate any recognizable landmarks. He looked back down at the beautiful girl in front of him. "If that's true, why are you just standing around here? Why aren't you fighting Ranma?"

Shampoo frowned. "No can find school. No one help." She eyed the boy beside her speculatively, then gave him a provocative smile and batted her eyelashes. "You know where go to school? You help?"

Ryoga felt himself grow hot at the look she was giving him. He tugged at his collar. "Er, what makes you think I could find my way there?"

Shampoo's smile changed to a frown. "If you try lead Shampoo there, Shampoo beat over head. Want to get there, not somewhere else. Just give name."

While Ryoga would have loved to see Shampoo beat up Ranma, there was no way he was going to endanger Akane. He was also mindful of his promise to Akane. Speaking very rapidly, he said, "Sorry. Don't remember. Gotta go." He turned and walked away quickly.

Shampoo stared after him, flabbergasted, before her features clouded over. "You go crazy?!" she demanded. She took a few quick steps to catch up to him.

Except that Ryoga saw her do so, and began walking more quickly. Shampoo broke into a run, and Ryoga started running as well. The Chinese girl was now shouting imprecations at him, but he was running heedlessly, determined to stay ahead of her. It was also in his mind that if she continued to follow him, he might manage to lead her to Okinawa or someplace similar. For the first time in his memory, the boy smiled at the thought of his sense of direction. Carefully wiping the smile from his face, Ryoga glanced over his shoulder to check on Shampoo's furious pursuit.

Then he slammed into something and went tumbling to the ground. The obstacle gave an agonized cry, shouting, "What the hell?"

Ryoga took a quick look around himself as Shampoo came pounding up. They were in some sort of hallway, with doors all around. It looked sort of like his old middle school. The boy with whom he had collided had also regained his feet, glaring at him, but then the glare was replaced with something like recognition.

"Hey! I know you! You're that Ryoga guy, aren't you? Are you here for Ranma, again?"

Shampoo skidded to a halt. "You say Ranma? Ranma Saotome?"

Ryoga, screaming internally that it just wasn't possible, simultaneously croaked, "Don't tell me this is Furinkan High!"

Shampoo filed the name away for future reference. The boy, touching fingers to a lump swelling on the back of his head, responded, "Of course this is Furinkan. Where did you think you were? Ranma's homeroom is at the end of the hall on the left, class 1F."

"Thank you," Shampoo told him with a big grin, hefting her chui.

The boy eyed the weapon nervously. "Ah ... don't mention it." Suddenly remembering his errand, he trotted away down the hall in the other direction.

Ryoga held his arms forward, palms outward. "Shampoo, you can't do this."

Her eyes narrowed. "What pig boy say? Thought want Ranma dead?"

Ryoga squirmed before answering, "Yeah, well ... Akane doesn't."

"Shampoo no care. Out of way!" She swung her mace, forcing Ryoga to duck, but he snapped a kick her way. Shampoo had to spin and dodge the maneuver.

The female warrior found herself growing angry. Hadn't he said he wanted to kill Ranma? Wasn't it just like an indecisive male to change his mind about something so serious? Neither one wasted words as they fought their way up and down the hall. Most of the blows failed to connect.

Of course, even if they weren't yelling at each other, the fight was not entirely silent. There probably would have been dozens of students pouring out of the classrooms to watch, if it were not for the fact that they were in the middle of lunch period. The buzz of conversations inside the rooms, not to mention occasional raucous laughter, covered up what sounds from the fight penetrated the walls.

Pausing for breath, Shampoo noticed that the two of them had switched places at some point. Without warning she spun away from Ryoga, sprinting down the hallway. However, he was right on her heels, forcing a snarl from her lips at the trouble he was causing her. The girl spotted a water fountain just before room 1F and smiled an evil smile. Sliding to a stop right in front of it, she dropped her weapon, pressed one finger over the nozzle and slammed the heel of her palm down on the button.

Ryoga gave a yelp as he ran into a spray of cold water. He vanished into his clothing. After squirming for several seconds, the little black pig emerged. His eyes were burning.

Shampoo grinned at him as she stooped over and picked up her chui. "You be good pig. No interfere."

He was having none of that. Transforming him on purpose only enraged him further. He jumped forward, surprising the Chinese girl, and chomped his jaws closed on her forearm.

Shampoo grunted a muffled oath and swung her arm violently, throwing the pig against the opposite wall. He struck with all four hooves and leaped back across the hall straight at her. Shampoo dodged the attack, then swung with her mace to flatten him against the near wall. Ryoga darted aside just barely in time, and the chui smashed a two meter wide hole in the wall.

The young Chinese woman stared through the hole to see an entire roomful of students staring back at her. Some of their eyes shifted to look at the door less than a meter to the side of the hole, causing Shampoo to flush in embarrassment, which only made her more angry. Then the pig jumped at her again, and she swung her chui only to miss once more as he fled inside the classroom.

"P-chan!" came a baritone howl.

Akane swept forward, in her male form, and grabbed the pig out of midair. She crushed him against her chest, seriously freaking out Ryoga. Turning storm filled eyes on his attacker, she demanded, "How dare you pick on a poor, defenseless pig?!"

Ryoga froze in shock, unmoving, stunned by the actions and words of the person he believed to be his most hated rival.

Shampoo also stood frozen, staring at Akane, as the realization sank in that she may have just made a tactical error with her husband-to-be. Belatedly she remembered her assumption that he and Ryoga were friends, and it obviously did not sit at all well with him that she had just been trying, apparently, to kill the boy-turned-pig. In fact, the look on his face made it clear that he was deeply disgusted with her.

The Chinese warrior looked away, not in shame, but to avoid her airen's eyes while she considered how to repair the situation. In doing so, her eyes squarely met Ranma's. Shampoo bared her teeth. It was all _that_ girl's fault! She was the one who had shamed her! She was the one Shampoo was here to fight! It was past time to end this!

Ranma saw the look on her face, turned, and ran. He jumped through the window, not bothering to open it first, gracefully dodging the shards of glass flying around him. Shampoo jumped through the hole in the window immediately behind him. With a start she realized they were on the third floor - not precisely a problem, but usually she was expecting it when she made such jumps. Consequently she landed with a roll, instead of lightly ending up on her feet.

Back in the classroom Akane looked out the window, but decided not to chance it. Ranma had been working with her on jumping and landing, but so far she hadn't tried anything much over one story, and she didn't want to try her first time from this height with P-chan in her arms. So she ran out the classroom door and down the hall, hoping that she could catch up. Unfortunately Ryoga came out of his daze, bit her arm _hard_, and scampered off when she dropped him.

As Ranma circled around the school hoping to find some place to hide, he cast a glance back over his shoulder, seeing Shampoo running right behind with grim determination. His peripheral version caught sight of a chain link fence looming in front of him, and Ranma absentmindedly jumped over it. Then the circuits in his brain caught up and passed along the information as to just what fence he was passing over.

His head snapped back around to see the swimming pool appear underneath.

Ranma began a groan of frustration for the perversity of the universe, particularly since he could point out, as with the canal earlier, than he was _already_ in his cursed form. He stopped with a grunt however, noting with pleasure that fate was on his side for once, since he was coming down close enough to grab the edge of the diving board. He did just this, feeling his feet dip into the water, whereupon the board sprang back up and he released it, flying up into the air.

Which is where he collided with Shampoo's foot. _She_ had seen the swimming pool quite clearly through the fence and, although she didn't understand why the girl was doing so, saw Ranma aiming directly for the diving board. So Shampoo had controlled her own leap in order to intersect Ranma's path in midair. The Japanese teenager tumbled end over end to crash into the fence with a grimace of pain.

Ranma jumped to his feet and over to the side, barely avoiding Shampoo's swing when she landed. The two began to circle each other warily, on the narrow concrete area between the fence and the pool.

Shampoo was trying to be careful, watching for an opening but not attacking blindly. She was determined that her enemy would not escape her this time. With the fence surrounding them, Ranma could not get away except by leaping over it, yet any attempt to do so would require tensing the leg muscles in a manner that would betray the intention, providing Shampoo an opportunity to attack.

As they continued to circle one another, the young Amazon warrior tried to feel pleased at this thought, that she might finally be able to end this matter. She found that she couldn't, however. All she felt was mild nausea. The image of looking down on Ranma's dead body was not one in which she could take pleasure.

Unbidden, the thought of Ranma's broken body faded, to be replaced by a memory, the look of disgust Shampoo had last seen in Akane's eyes. It occurred to the Chinese girl that Akane had seen the two of them run off, that he might even follow after them. How would her airen react if he arrived here only to find Ranma dead? It did not take a genius to see that fulfilling her original mission could throw away all chance of winning her husband.

Yet what else could she do? It didn't matter what her airen thought. It didn't matter if she herself wanted there to be another way. She _had_ to kill Ranma to redeem her honor. Having chosen to give the Kiss of Death, failure to carry out her vow would not be well received back home. Not that she was likely to be executed or anything, but it was easy to imagine some punishment bad enough to make her wish she was dead.

If only there was some way to get rid of Ranma permanently! Something short of killing her. If only ...

Ranma's leg muscles tensed, his eyes flicking toward the fence. In the same instant Shampoo swung her chui with deadly intent. Ranma cursed, barely bending himself backward enough for the weapon to graze him without injury. He kicked at Shampoo, connecting, but not enough to knock her away. They resumed circling, Ranma frowning in puzzlement at a stain which appeared at Shampoo's side.

The teenage girl gave a frown of her own over the sticky feeling at her side. Without taking her eyes off Ranma, she slipped a hand into her pocket, encountering a bottle whose top had been knocked off. She pulled her hand back out, deciding not to worry about it, while her subconscious identified the bottle and passed the information along.

When Shampoo remembered exactly what was in that bottle, her eyes lit. In a bare instant she conceived a glorious plan. She could make Ranma forget who she was, forget everything about her life. Shampoo could then take the near helpless girl away from there, before Akane arrived, take her to some distant city and turn her over to a hospital, saying that she had found her nearby. "Ranma" would be no more. Shampoo could even tell the people back home that she had killed her, since it was likely that no one would ever find her. Ranma _would_ be dead, for all practical purposes, and Shampoo would not have to live with the memory of crushing the life out of another person's body.

Then, after all that was done, she could come back and claim her husband.

Ranma watched in worry as Shampoo's expression turned positively devilish. She took a swing at Ranma's feet with the chui, but even as he dodged to the side she leaped over him, pulling something out. Her hands reached for his head.

But Ranma was far faster than she had given him credit, and knew that Shampoo's actions boded him no good. He ducked underneath her jump, pushed off the ground with his hands, and somersaulted over _her_ head. On his way past he grabbed the items out of her hands, seeing that he held a towel, a comb, and a bottle of shampoo. The number 110 was printed in large characters on the side of the bottle, with 411 in fine print underneath.

‹What the hell?› Ranma thought. ‹She was going to ... wash my hair?›

The idea was bizarre, but Ranma felt an inner perversity seize him. ‹Let's see how _she_ likes it.› Before his feet touched down, he whipped the towel around Shampoo's neck, scooped water out of the pool and onto her head, poured shampoo from the bottle into her purple hair, and quickly massaged it in. After working it fully through her hair, he rinsed the hair with more water from the pool, combed her tresses and pulled the towel back off. The stunned girl settled to the ground, eyes closed.

Fifty-five seconds had passed.

Ranma was concerned because Shampoo had passed out, but a quick check showed that she was breathing normally and nothing else seemed to be wrong. He shrugged his shoulders and decided not to waste the opportunity. He ran off back into the school, colliding with Akane at the front door. After a quick explanation, the two teenagers returned to their classroom, where they were immediately sent out into the hall to hold buckets for being late.

Shampoo woke up, feeling very refreshed, wondering why she was lying on cold, wet cement beside a swimming pool. She stretched her arms out and gave a wide yawn. After a quick look around, she climbed to her feet, picked up her chui, then took stock of her situation.

‹I'm in Japan. In Nerima, Tokyo. That is Furinkan High School. I left the village, traveled cross country to Shanghai, caught a ship to this foreign land, journeyed around it for a few weeks, then ended up here. I remember all of that perfectly. But ... why? Why am I here?›

She paced back and forth, occasionally looking up at the school only to shake her head in frustration.

‹When I came to Nerima, I was looking for Kolkhoz High School, wasn't I? Something about a skating match. I think I was supposed to meet someone there. Did I meet her? Or him? That's probably the place to start trying to find out what happened.›

The decision made, Shampoo set off at a determined pace. She remembered the directions for getting to Kolkhoz, so did not have to try to talk to anyone yet. This left her free to continue pondering what had happened.

‹I seem to have amnesia. Was I in a fight? Did someone strike me in the head? No, impossible. I feel fine. Better than fine, really. In fact, my head feels wonderf...›

The Chinese girl jerked to a stop. ‹Could it ...? No, no one here could get their hands on the shampoo, could they? I'm probably the only person in Japan who has ...› Her thoughts came to a halt, her hand digging around frantically in her pocket but failing to find the bottle she sought.

"Who steal Shampoo's memory?" she screamed, attracting numerous strange stares from her fellow pedestrians.

At least the problem was easy to fix. Shampoo reached back into her pocket for the round bottle she had felt while searching for the rectangular one which was missing. Pulling it out she looked with relief at the label, filled with a large number "119," accompanied by "911" in small print. A quick hair wash with this would restore her lost memories. Shampoo spoke briefly with a woman standing at a bus stop concerning the way to the nearest public bath, and then set off in that direction hurriedly.

So distracted was she that Shampoo was taken completely by surprise when someone grabbed her hand, pulling her to a stop and turning her around.

"Shampoo!" Ryoga exclaimed. He had found some hot water and his clothes and miraculously stumbled across her while searching for Furinkan.

The Amazon looked up into a boy's face which seemed quite familiar. "You're Ryoga," she said after a moment, pleased that she was able to remember. Then she frowned. Her hand in his felt ... slimy?

Looking down, her eyes slowly widened in horror. Her mouth fell helplessly open. His hand, squeezing hers, had crushed the bottle within her grip. The remains of the shampoo were dripping from their fingertips.

Ryoga, taking in her expression, followed her gaze to their hands. "Oh, hell! I'm sorry about that. Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

Before Shampoo realized what he was up to, Ryoga pulled a thermos out of his pack, uncapped it, and poured hot water over their hands. A quick wipe with a handkerchief dried them off. Not a single gooey drop of the shampoo was left.

"There!" Ryoga beamed at her. "All better!"

Shampoo's face twisted with naked fury. She tried to remember if it was legal to give the Kiss of Death to an outsider male, but decided she could promise him death without sullying her lips. "Ryoga! I kill!"

Ryoga sensed the attack and jumped backward just in time. Thus it was that a mailbox went flying across the street instead of himself.

"Hey! What'd I do?!" the boy protested vehemently. He made two more jumps backward, each time barely evading a swing of the mace. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, Ryoga turned and ran. Shampoo was close on his heels, swinging repeatedly, but never quite connecting.

They ran for several kilometers while Ryoga, listening to the girl behind him, added to his store of Chinese swear words. The boy kept coming back to the puzzle of why she was chasing him. It was Ranma that she was supposed to be after, not himself. Perhaps if he reminded her? But he'd need some way to keep her from braining him long enough to talk.

After a couple of hours of running, Ryoga finally saw in front of him what he suspected might be the answer to his prayers. It was a drained rice paddy, full of mud, which he knew from a previous unfortunate experience would be unpleasant but for some reason would not trigger his curse. The boy plunged forward unheeding, splattering himself liberally with muck, until he was standing in mud up to his knees several meters from dry land. He turned and looked behind him, curious to see if he had guessed right.

Shampoo was standing on the last solid patch of ground at the edge of the paddy, staring before her with dismay. She raised her eyes to look at Ryoga with disgust, seeing that the filth had splashed all the way up to his face. She lowered her eyes back down to consider her silk outfit. Warrior she might be, but there were limits, and the Chinese girl ground her teeth on realizing that the direction challenged boy had escaped her wrath for the moment.

Ryoga sighed as it became apparent that she would not follow him here. Calling back to her, he asked, "Any chance you'll tell me why you want to kill me?"

Shampoo glared incandescently. She was in no mood to admit to anyone that part of her memory had been taken from her. This in turn made it rather difficult to explain why she was so angry. She settled for, "You ruin shampoo."

Ryoga almost sat down in the mud in shock. "Wh-wh-what do you mean, I ruined you?"

The girl stamped her foot. "Not Shampoo. Shampoo!"

"Ah ... You haven't come down with a fever or something have you?"

"Yaaah!" She stooped, picked up a rock the size of her fist, and flung it at him.

Ryoga batted the rock aside with his umbrella. "Damn it, you're not making any sense! You're not supposed to be trying to kill me. You're supposed to be trying to kill Ranma!"

Shampoo paused with another rock in her hand, looking puzzled. "Who Ranma?"

Ryoga threw his hands up. "The gu- the girl you're trying to kill!" He then gave an "Oof!" and fell back into the mud due to the rock which struck him dead center in the chest.

Shampoo remained crouched after her throw but now ignored Ryoga. She was repeating the name "Ranma" over and over in her mind. Something was slowly coming back to her. A girl, a Japanese girl, eating food. Her prize! The challenge log, the shame of defeat ... it all came rushing back. She had given the Kiss of Death to a girl named Ranma and chased her all the way here to Nerima, to carry out her vow.

The Chinese girl looked around her. Okay, so maybe it was no longer accurate to refer to Nerima as "here." She certainly wasn't in Tokyo at the moment. For that matter, just where the hell was she? There was no one around to ask, aside from the boy in the mud, and by this time she certainly knew better than to ask _him_. Figuring that any direction was better than none, and that she was bound to encounter another person eventually, Shampoo stood and turned away.

As she jogged along, Shampoo reflected on all of the things she remembered about Ranma. She was living in the home of a family by the name of Tendo, whose address she could even remember. It occurred to her that the person who had used the Xi Fa Xiang Gao memory technique on her must have been a rank amateur at it, for so many things to return to her so easily. She wondered if it had been this Ranma, not that it mattered very much. The girl was already under sentence of death, after all.

It wasn't until after she was out of sight that Ryoga remembered that he had told Akane he would try to talk Shampoo out of killing Ranma, or at least killing a female Ranma who looked just like Akane. That still seemed terribly bizarre, how his despised rival's cursed form looked so much like the girl with whom he thought he might be falling in love. Pulling himself out of the mud, Ryoga realized that Shampoo would be heading back to attempt Ranma's death once more, which meant Akane was in danger. Resignedly, he attempted to set course for the Tendo home yet again, determined that he would force someone to lead him there if necessary.

* * *

Back at Furinkan High School, it was time for gym class. Although not too thrilled with the idea of being in the girls' restroom, Ranma had found himself there several times since starting school at Furinkan, and was now in precisely that room yet one more time, waiting until he could be reasonably sure the girls' locker room would be empty.

Akane on the other hand was much less comfortable with the idea of entering the boys' restroom. Therefore she was lounging around out in the hall, likewise waiting until she could enter the boys' locker room without seeing anything she didn't want to see. Unfortunately for her, the boys' gym teacher chose that moment to walk down the same hallway.

"Saotome-kun! What are you doing hanging around out here? Get in the locker room and get ready for class!"

"Er ... but I needed to ..."

"Needed to nothing." The teacher was scowling fiercely. "I saw you just standing there leaning against the wall! Now hurry up!"

He pointed. Left with no choice, Akane walked along the hall, head hanging, with the teacher right behind her. She hesitated another moment at the door before taking a deep breath and going in. At first she had her eyes closed, but they sprung open as she almost immediately stumbled going down the steps on the other side of the door.

"Hey, Ranma!" one of the boys called. "What happened to all that martial arts grace?"

Akane looked up with a glare, but dropped her eyes again almost immediately, fighting not to blush. No one was _completely_ undressed, thank God, but several boys were wearing only boxers. At least she and Ranma had long since memorized each other's locker numbers and combinations in case of emergency. Trying to look at nothing around her, she walked carefully over to the locker, opened it, but then stood there doing nothing. The idea of undressing with a roomful of boys watching her was rather frightening.

A few lockers down, Daisuke nudged Hiroshi and whispered, "You know who that is, don't you?"

Hiroshi nodded. Wondering to himself whether he had a death wish, he found that he just couldn't resist the sudden temptation which swept over him. Wearing only his bikini briefs, he sauntered over.

"Hey, Ranma! How's it going?"

In a fierce whisper, Akane told him, "Yanaka-kun, I swear, if you come one step closer I will _kill_ you."

It was the tone of voice more than the words which stopped him. Hiroshi started to walk backward, carefully.

He was even more shocked when the boy in front of him said, "Wait!" After a pause, Akane went on, "On second thought, I want both you and Daisuke to stay close while I change. If you value your lives, you will make sure that not one drop of hot water gets anywhere close to me. Do you understand?"

Swallowing hard, Hiroshi nodded. Daisuke had just finished pulling on his uniform, although he was still in his socks, and he also grunted his agreement and sidled closer. Knowing something by now about how water tended to seek the cursed pair out, he stood with his back to Akane and kept his eyes open for any possible threat. Whether due to their vigilance, or simply good fortune, Akane managed to change into the gym uniform without incident.

Upon leaving the building Akane noted nervously that the girls were playing baseball today, but the boys' class was playing soccer so she didn't have time to stand around idle and worry about where Ranma's foul balls were flying. As the period drew to an end, Akane felt that she had given a good account of herself. No one had made any suggestion to "Ranma" that his game was off.

She volunteered for the cleanup, putting the balls and such away, in order to delay until her classmates had finished their showers. Hiroshi and Daisuke came over to offer their help, which Akane turned down. She tersely told them, "What I want is for you two to get inside, get dressed, and get out of there before I come in. I want the place to myself!"

"What's the problem?" Hiroshi asked. "You're a guy right now, aren't you? So nobody's gonna see anything you have any reason not to want them to see."

Daisuke added, "The jerk here has a point ... ow!" He rubbed the shoulder which was hit by his friend. "I mean, you're gonna skip the showers, right? So there really isn't much chance you'll be hit by hot water, and we'll help you keep an eye out for any."

"Besides, wouldn't you like to get a good look at the guys?" Hiroshi tried to waggle his eyebrows, but his expression changed to one of fear as he was grabbed by the front of his shirt and lifted off of his feet.

"You want to stop that perverted tongue of yours, or you want me to rip it out?"

Hiroshi was only able to respond with choking sounds until she dropped him, glaring at him all the while. As the gasping boy looked up at the frightful expression Akane wore, it occurred to him that she was somehow able to make Ranma's face look scarier than Ranma himself could. What didn't occur to him was that this might be due to never yet having seen Ranma truly angry.

"Is there some problem?" Ranma asked, joining them. Akane turned to regard him, standing there wearing her body. Ranma's expression was amused.

"Just trying to get a pervert to shut up and go inside," Akane told him.

Ranma shook his head in resignation for the moronic behavior of his male classmates. "You two better head in before, uh, you know who here decides to stop holding back and pummels you. And after you finish in there, you'd better guard the doors, from the _outside_, and make sure she can change her clothes in peace. Or you'll answer to _me_."

They both nodded rapidly, then took off quickly.

"I could've handled them," Akane said gruffly.

"I'm sure you could've," he answered her calmly. "But they're my friends, so I kinda figure it's my job to try to keep 'em in line."

Akane responded with a grunt of acknowledgment. Ranma picked up a soccer ball and balanced it on one finger, before walking in the direction of the equipment shed. After putting things away, they sat down on the floor of the shed to pass some time before heading to the locker rooms.

Sounding bored, Akane asked, "Any fresh ideas on getting Shampoo to give up on killing someone named Ranma who looks like me?"

"Nope," Ranma admitted. "Any fresh ideas on getting her to give up on marrying someone who looks like me? And who for some reason she thinks is named Akane?"

"Nope," Akane said in turn. A glum silence settled between them, both of them thinking hard.

After several minutes, Akane thought she had an idea. "What if ... what if you show your curse to Shampoo? But don't tell her it's a curse, tell her it's the way you are. That you're not really a boy _or_ a girl, but sometimes one and sometimes the other."

Ranma scowled, but Akane went on before he could interrupt. "I know you don't like someone thinking that, neither do I, but ... those laws of hers might not cover that case. Should she kill us, or marry us? She probably wouldn't want to marry you, me, whatever, if she thinks you're not a boy, or at least not a boy all the time. And she might agree that the law about killing a female doesn't apply if you're not completely a girl."

The girl sitting across from her was still scowling. "Seems like a bit of a stretch, hoping it would work out exactly like that."

"What have you got to lose?" Akane asked reasonably. "The worst that could happen is she decides she's still going to either kill you or marry you. Which isn't any worse than right now, is it?"

Ranma sighed. "If you put it that way ... nothing, I suppose. I guess I could give it a try. Doubt it'll work but ... okay."

Deciding that the locker rooms ought to be clear by now, the two of them climbed to their feet and walked together to the school.

* * *

Ranma and Akane both sat down to breakfast the next morning feeling considerably agitated. In part this was due to the fact that Shampoo had not yet returned since the attack at lunchtime the previous day. Both of them were wondering where she was, what she was doing, and when she would show up again. Although in truth, Ranma was the one more bothered by this, since he had made up his mind to try Akane's idea, and wanted to get it over with.

Neither of them knew, of course, that the Chinese girl had chased someone clear out of the city yesterday. Shampoo had finally found her way back to the southwest edge of Tokyo by dinnertime the previous evening, but had decided to get something to eat and settle in somewhere for the night, then make a fresh attempt to kill Ranma in the morning. She was also trying not to give in to despair as her quest slowly came to appear more and more hopeless. She had risen early, however, and was even now drawing near.

While Ranma's agitation was primarily due to Shampoo, Akane was only giving half her mind to it. The thing that was truly bothering _her_ was that she had been plagued by another one of those dreams last night, where she was trapped in a room with Ryoga Hibiki, who was pressing up against her, and Ranma was outside trying to break in and rescue her. They were coming every night now, and she was at a loss to understand what they could mean, but she was getting sick of waking up from them in a state of panic.

Akane looked at the boy, no, the girl kneeling beside her. She wondered if Ranma might have any guess what it could mean. It might be a little embarrassing to describe the dream, but it wasn't any worse than dreams they had shared back in China. Making up her mind, she said, "Ranma? If you're finished, could we, uh, go out to the dojo? There's something I'd like to talk to you about. About my training." She threw in the final sentence at the last second, hoping it would stave off anyone's curiosity.

Ranma nodded, shoved one last mouthful of rice into his mouth, and got to his feet. Together they walked down the hall, past the furoba, and out the door onto the little walkway which led to the dojo. Akane was busy trying to organize her thoughts, trying to figure out how to explain that a dream was bothering her so much, and why she was asking him about it. She stepped into the dojo.

Just as Ranma was about to follow her in, Shampoo jumped over the wall. She spotted him instantly, and screamed, "Ranma! Kill!" She ran at him, lifting her chui high, and Ranma almost took off running, but then remembered what he was going to try to explain to Shampoo.

So instead he dodged the first strike. "Hey, Shampoo ..." He dodged. "I'd like ..." Dodged again. "to talk ..." Dodged another. "to you." Dodged and tripped her.

Shampoo stumbled, taking several awkward steps before regaining her balance. She spun back, eyes flashing. Raising her weapon, she moved in more warily, ignoring the other girl's words.

"Dammit!" Ranma was frustrated, wondering how he was going to explain if he couldn't get the girl to stop and listen. At least Akane seemed to be staying out of sight in the dojo, which was one less thing for him to worry about. Maybe if he tried a demonstration first?

"Kasumi! I need hot water, fast!" A beat, then, "Er, please?!"

Shampoo attacked again. Ranma jumped to the roof of the dojo. Shampoo followed. He leaped across the space to the roof of the house. His pursuer was right behind him. He jumped back down to the ground, waited until Shampoo jumped as well, then started running around the house staying just a few steps ahead.

On the second lap, Kasumi stepped outside and held out a kettle. Ranma grabbed it in passing, turning his head to exclaim "Thanks!" over his shoulder. He put on a little more speed to widen the gap before he turned and poured the water over his head. He watched carefully for the reaction as he changed to male, preparing for the attempt to convince his attacker that he was neither male nor female.

When Shampoo had seen her quarry grab the kettle, she had at first assumed it to be some sort of weapon. She quickly realized, however, that this was not the case. Curiosity slowed her steps when Ranma jumped ahead and then turned around, almost posing as the girl lifted the kettle above her head and then poured. Shampoo's eyes grew very wide on seeing Ranma's body appear to shift. She walked forward slowly, warily, trying to discern the difference. Was the girl ... taller? And ... flatter?

Ranma held still as Shampoo approached him. She appeared to be confused, her mace dangling in one hand almost as if its presence were forgotten. Holding his breath, but ready to leap away in an instant, he allowed the Chinese girl to walk right up to him. She looked up into his face, then down at his chest. Slowly she reached a hand forward and placed her hand flat on that chest.

"Ranma? Male?"

He coughed, clearing his throat. "Y'see, it's like this ..."

Shampoo looked at the kettle, then up into his face again. "You have Jusenkyo curse?"

Ranma stared at her. Why hadn't he guessed that she'd know about Jusenkyo curses, as close as she lived to the valley? Hell, the guide had as much as said that he visited their village regularly for supplies! She probably knew a lot more about it than he did.

Shampoo spoke again. "Hot water make Ranma boy? Ranma is boy who turn into girl?" Her features hardened. "Come! You show!"

They were standing in front of the house. She grabbed him by his shirt and dragged him through the front door and down the hall, with him protesting every step, wanting to know what she was up to. Shampoo's mind was reeling, trying to grasp the idea that she might have been chasing a boy all along. If so ... the Kiss of Death would not apply, would it?

Shampoo felt a sense of exultation fill her at the thought, although she was careful to hide it. Besides, she hadn't even confirmed yet that he, she, whatever was cursed. The young warrior stomped down on her anticipation, telling herself she had to be sure.

She pulled Ranma into the kitchen. Kasumi, warned by the sounds Ranma had been making as they came down the hall, was staring at them openly. Nabiki, Soun and Genma all came across the hall from the family room, crowding through the doorway to see what was up. Shampoo marched the boy right up to the counter.

"Just hang on! What are you - glub urble?"

Without any hesitation, Shampoo had shoved Ranma's head down into the sink, and turned on the faucet, dousing him in cold water. She watched in satisfaction as his body shrunk, breasts unmistakably pressing outward against the shirt. He sprang up as she released him, then spun his head violently from side to side, making her jump back with a grimace to avoid the water flying from the swinging locks.

"Dammit ...!"

He was interrupted again as the Amazon crowed, "Shampoo know it! Ranma boy, not girl! Have Jusenkyo curse, turn into girl! Too, too funny!" She laughed out loud, filled with euphoria.

"It ain't funny!" Ranma protested harshly.

"Yes. Very funny." Shampoo nodded, beaming. She hadn't been defeated by a girl after all! There had been no reason for the Kiss of Death. No need for a hopeless quest against an opponent who was steadily proving able to evade her best efforts. No need to fear ending up in a foreign prison for murder, had she been able to succeed. She could go home, honor intact! It was perhaps a pity that she hadn't known he was really a handsome boy and given him a Kiss of Marriage back in the village ... she hesitated, smile damping a little at some internal twinge, then dismissed it. A pity maybe, but then again, would she have wanted to kiss a girl on the lips in front of the whole village? A slight shudder passed through her at the thought.

Taking a breath, she looked at Ranma and spoke, enunciating carefully. "Law say give Kiss of Death to _girl_. Ranma not girl. No can give Kiss of Death." Shampoo allowed a sly smile to cross her face. "Of course, if knew Ranma boy, Shampoo could have give Kiss of Marriage. Perhaps Ranma want?"

His eyes widened. "But you alr-"

Nabiki and Kasumi both slapped their hands over Ranma's mouth. "Sorry," Nabiki said meaningfully, "but I'm afraid he's already engaged to my little sister."

Shampoo was still smiling, the offer only having been given half hopefully. She thought it to be no surprise that such a handsome boy was already spoken for, and her mind was already turning far away, back to her home in China. The home she longed to see again as soon as possible, now that her mission had come to this improbable end.

"Oh. Too, too bad. If change mind, come find Shampoo in village of Joketsuzoku. Shampoo go now. In Japan too, too long. Bye-bye!" She laid her chui over her shoulder, turned around, and marched out of the house without a backward glance.

Everyone stared silently at the doorway through which she'd left. Akane came into the room. "I heard everything from under the kitchen window. Ranma, did you hit her in the head or something?"

"Hell, no!" he proclaimed his innocence. "Why're you asking something like that?"

"Because," Nabiki answered, "Shampoo certainly acted as if she'd forgotten all about that Kiss of Marriage she gave you. That's why we shut you up so fast. You were about to remind her."

"How could she forget something like that?" Ranma demanded. "And no, I did _not_ hit her in the head!"

"I don't suppose it matters," Kasumi suggested thoughtfully. "All's well that ends well."

"Except my weakling son could barely hold his own against some girl!" Genma said loudly and scathingly. With the last word he turned and kicked Ranma through the doorway and into the family room. Soon the pair were out in the yard, fighting no holds barred.

Everyone else had trooped out into the family room to watch through the open shoji. "I guess everything's back to normal," Nabiki commented.

"Yeah," Akane responded cheerfully. "Looks like Ranma might be tied up for a while. I think I'll go out for a jog."

"Like that?" her sister inquired. "Getting pretty comfortable with your curse, aren't you?"

Akane shrugged. "Ranma's in my form right now, I might as well be in his. Besides, there's the little old lady who always splashes me while settling the dust on the sidewalk - I think the curse makes me forget about her until after she does it. I might as well start out male, since I'll likely end up that way. I can bathe and change when I get back."

With that explanation, Akane left the room. As she pulled on her jogging shoes in the genkan, she reflected that she still hadn't had a chance to talk with Ranma about her dreams. Not that it really mattered all that much, they were just dreams. She left the house, turned right outside the gate, and was soon trotting along at a steady pace.

* * *

Ryoga was starting to feel a little desperate about the lack of familiar landmarks. Surely Shampoo would have found her way back to the Tendo home by now. What if she attacked Akane? What if she killed her? Dammit, it was all Ranma's fault! His fault for having a curse that looked so much like Akane!

That was when he spotted his nemesis. Jogging down the street without a care in the world, while for all _he_ knew, Shampoo could be killing Akane at that very moment!

"Ranma! Prepare to die!"

Akane's training kicked in. Instantly she determined the threat level, direction of attack, and appropriate response. Meeting Ryoga head on was out of the question. She ducked aside just in time for his umbrella to smash a crater in the wall beside her.

"Hang on, Ryoga-kun!" She was forced to dodge again, an attack which crumbled the sidewalk cement. "What are you so mad about?"

Ryoga circled around, trying to back "Ranma" into a corner. He snarled, "Don't you know Shampoo is still looking for you? Except she's looking for your cursed form! Akane-san is in danger! Or don't you care?"

Akane blew out a sharp breath. She supposed it _could_ look a little bad to someone who didn't have all the facts. "Shampoo is gone, Ryoga-kun," she told him. "He, I, finally told her about the curse this morning, and she called off her vow to kill me. She's on her way back to China."

"Oh." Ryoga stopped in his tracks, nonplussed. Such a possibility had never occurred to him. Then he remembered his own wish for vengeance. "Maybe so, but _I_ still want to kill you. It's time to settle this!"

Akane was circling as well, trying to keep a lamppost between herself and Ryoga. "Why? What makes you hate me so much that you'd say that? Why are you insisting on this vendetta?"

"You know damned well why!" Ryoga shouted. "You're the one to blame for what happens when I get hit by water!"

Akane stopped in her tracks. "You ... you have a Jusenkyo curse?! But ..." She thought some more, then glared at him. "I _kept_ you from falling in that pool! I told you what those pools did! Do you mean to tell me that after all that, you were _stupid_ enough to go and fall in one anyway!"

Ryoga had a weird feeling of having gone through this conversation before. "It's your fault! Your fault I was there! Your fault for distracting me so I fell in!"

Akane put her hands on her hips. "I don't _believe_ you! First you follow me to China like an idiot, then after I _warned_ you of the danger, you went and got cursed anyway? And you're trying to blame _me_ for it?!" She paused, sighed. "Just ... go away." She turned her back on him and began walking down the street, but kept her senses sharp just in case.

She ducked under his flying kick. However, a blow from his umbrella as he passed overhead sent her crashing into a fence. She bounced off of the fence and into a fighting stance.

Ryoga was facing her, in a stance of his own, smiling grimly. "Besides, once I get you out of the way, I'll have my chance. I'll tell Akane-san how I feel about her. It won't take her long to forget about you. I'm sure she'd much rather have a _real_ man."

Akane's breath was stolen away, leaving her speechless. She was uncomfortably accustomed to boys lusting after her, but had somehow missed the signs in Ryoga. She hadn't even paid much attention when Nabiki suggested he had a crush on her. But what really left her flummoxed was that he was planning to kill Ranma, and apparently believed that if he did so, that she would fall for him afterward. It occurred to her that Ryoga must be as delusional as Kuno.

Ryoga decided to drive the knife home. He smiled even more viciously. "I bet it just burns you up inside, doesn't it, knowing that I get to sleep in the same bed with Akane-san? Watching her cuddle me? It's _obvious_ how much she likes me."

At first this made no sense, and Akane was aghast that he would tell such lies about her. Then a nuclear explosion went off inside her head. ‹P-chan! His cursed form - he's P-chan! I'll _kill_ him! I swear to God, I'm going to rip him limb from limb!›

Quietly, voice trembling with rage, she said, "You turn into a pig. You're P-chan."

Ryoga stared at his rival, puzzled. "Of course. You knew that."

Shrieking wordlessly, Akane leapt for him, determined to break every bone in his body. Sneering in contempt, Ryoga smashed her aside. As she jumped back to her feet, a blow to the back of her head sent her down to her hands and knees, stars whirling in her darkened vision.

"You even _fight_ like a girl, now," Ryoga told her, voice dripping with scorn. "You're pathetic."

Akane didn't try to stand again immediately, lashing at herself mentally for letting fury override discipline. She _knew_ that Ryoga was dangerous. She wanted to crush him so badly she could taste it, but she ruthlessly squashed the urge, reigning in her emotions. Although it made her want to scream to the heavens, Akane forced herself to admit she did not have the skills to defeat the boy physically, and fighting him so - that could only end in one way.

On the other hand, perhaps there were other ways to crush opponents. A burning need for revenge filled her, in whatever form she could get it.

"Hibiki," she ground out, slowly standing. "I want to show you something. Follow me." She turned and walked away.

Whatever Ryoga had expected his opponent to do next, it wasn't this. He watched for a minute, puzzled, then shrugged his shoulders and followed. He could always finish off Ranma after seeing whatever the jerk wanted to show him.

Akane stepped in front of a gate. As expected, she got splashed, which didn't change her appearance at all. Smiling sweetly at the old woman, she walked through the gate and asked, "Could I trouble you for some hot water?"

The old woman eyed the boy in confusion, but decided it was a simple enough request to fulfill, particularly since she _had_ just drenched the lad and perhaps owed him something. She went inside while Ryoga stood frozen in shock that "Ranma" had not changed into Akane's twin. The woman emerged a minute later, handing a glass to Akane, who thanked the elderly woman then stepped back around the wall.

Ryoga watched in puzzlement as Akane reappeared and held the glass out. "Put a finger in it, please," she said sweetly.

Her words woke him from his shock. Ryoga choked out, "You ... you're cured! How! When! Tell me!" Meanwhile, he had responded to the request without conscious intent, his arm reaching out and dipping a finger in the glass. At the feeling of wetness he looked down, startled. Ryoga pulled his finger back out, staring at it. "Uh, it's hot water," he said blankly. "So what?"

Akane upended the glass over her head, causing her body to transform instantly. Ryoga staggered backward, trying to understand what he had just seen.

Her voice was still sweet, sweet like a flower dipped in liquid nitrogen. "I'm Akane. Surprise! Ranma and I are _both_ cursed. With mirrored curses. Cold water makes him look like me. _And vice versa_!"

Ryoga gulped. "A-A-Akane-san?" She nodded, and bleak despair washed over him.

She stepped forward, getting into his face. He tried to back away, but she kept the distance fixed. Her voice dropped to a hissing whisper.

"You dishonored me! You _used_ your curse to sneak into my bedroom, into my _bed_!" Ryoga was shaking his head, but she ignored it, cutting into him with her words. "A _real_ man, you said? You're nothing but a perverted little creep. Someone who gets his jollies by sneaking around, taking advantage of girls. Ranma may turn into a girl, but he's ten times the man you are!"

Ryoga turned, trying to get away, but Akane turned with him. He was still shuffling backward, but the gap between them remained the same.

"You thought _I_ would fall for _you_ if Ranma wasn't around? I'd laugh, except the very thought makes me nauseous. I would never have anything to do with a disgusting little pervert like you. Did you know that Ranma has kissed me?"

Ryoga's eyes widened. He shook his head slowly from side to side.

Akane reflected on the kiss in the hospital, but then focused on the dream of kissing Ranma in the dojo. It helped her to achieve the proper effect, as she smiled dreamily. "It was ... very nice. It helped me overcome my disgust when Shampoo kissed me in my cursed form." Ryoga felt that he was being battered by too many shocks, coming too close together. Akane added, "But I'd even prefer Shampoo to you. If your lips ever came close to me, I think I'd throw up."

Akane stopped suddenly. Ryoga almost stumbled with his next step backward, seeing that she was no longer in his face. Akane gave him a glare of hatred, then stooped, reaching inside the gate in front of which they were standing. She grabbed the handle of the ladle, which was sitting in its pail of water, then flung the contents at the boy in front of her.

His clothes collapsed inward.

As the pig scrambled out of his clothes, he was seized by his bandanna turned neckerchief and lifted, until Akane was staring into his eyes from centimeters away.

Her final statement was ice cold, filled with all the sincerity she could manage. "If I _ever_ find you in my bedroom again, then I will take my little pet P-chan to the nearest veterinarian. Where I will make sure that no one need ever worry about his attentions again. Are we clear?"

Ryoga nodded his snout up and down at high speed.

Akane returned the nod. Then she released her hold, and drop kicked him into the distance. She turned immediately, not bothering to watch him vanish from sight, struggling not to let her eyes fill with tears.

‹How could I have been such a fool?›

The meaning of the dreams now appeared to be crystal clear to her. Her subconscious must have somehow spotted enough clues to work out the truth, but hadn't bothered to inform her conscious mind directly.

And Ranma had known. Ryoga's words made that clear. He'd known that P-chan was Ryoga and hadn't told her. She'd thought he was her friend, that he would never keep anything from her, and now this.

Akane walked on under a black cloud of depression, with no idea where her feet were taking her.

While Ryoga lay in the bird nest in which he had fallen, near the top of some tree. How could he have messed things up so utterly? He had no desire to move from this spot, ever again.

And on a train heading west, Shampoo was reclining in the luxurious seat, allowing herself a well-earned nap. But her dreams where troubled by thoughts of a kiss, and the whispered word "airen."

* * *

**Author's note:**

I want to assure everyone that both Shampoo and Ryoga will be returning to the story.

Akane's speech at the end might be interpreted as Ryoga bashing, and in some sense I suppose it is. However, I feel that it was appropriate to the story at this point. She wanted revenge on him for how he had hurt her, and chose her words not for whether they were true in some ultimate sense but specifically to hurt Ryoga as much as she could. Ryoga's presence in this story is not simply for bashing, and his character will not be regarded as irredeemable. If _Side by Side_ goes on as long as I'd like, there will be plenty of time for character interrelationships to evolve. All that being said, don't expect Akane to simply forgive Ryoga anytime soon.

I would also like to invite everyone to stop by my web site to check out the latest addition: a page on which I will exhibit any artwork people care to contribute based on my stories. Currently to be found there is a picture by Xasonnex of the first kiss shared by Akane and Ranma, from chapter 13 of _The Silent Horse_.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	10. Clearing the Air

**Side by Side  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Sequel to _Togetherness_. Alternate universe story in which Ranma and Akane are cursed to change into duplicates of one another.

* * *

**Chapter 10. Clearing the Air**

She didn't manage to remain female for long. Less than twenty minutes after transforming into her true shape in order to show Ryoga Hibiki how catastrophic a mistake he had made with his inadvertent confession, a freak accident turned her male once again. Wasn't it bad enough to discover how completely she had been deceived by that perverted pig? That alone would have been enough to make this one of the worst days in Akane's life. But no, unable to leave it at that, the curse had to go and add even more humiliation and pain on top of that misery.

The curse had struck just a few minutes and a few blocks earlier. Akane had been wandering aimlessly, not paying any particular attention to where she was or what was going on around her, when she had suddenly seen a disaster in the making. She was passing a store advertising a special on spring water with a display, at least a couple of meters tall, a pillar constructed from individual bottles of the water stacked atop one another. A young boy of age five or so was standing beside the display when Akane saw him pull a bottle out of the bottom. In that instant, her black mood was temporarily displaced by a sharp stab of concern for the child's safety, as the entire edifice began to teeter toward him.

Akane had lunged forward, sweeping him up into her arms as they all tumbled down. Falling under the barrage of bottles, she had twisted herself around to take the impact on her own back. Although the bottles were separately light, the totality was fairly heavy, and numerous bottles split as they struck. Caring nothing for her selfless motivation, the curse had remorselessly changed her into a boy before the horrified eyes of the child's mother.

The sudden fright had caused the boy to start screaming. The thoroughly alarmed woman ran up and snatched him away from Akane, exclaiming, "Keep your hands off him you, you, whatever you are!" Trying to calm her child, glaring at Akane with suspicion and fear, she had hurried away, putting as much distance as possible between herself and the shape-changing creature which had grabbed her son.

The now male Akane was left standing there, trembling in resentment and humiliation. She had wanted to scream, "It's only a curse!" yet had somehow held it in. Hadn't she saved the boy? What had she done to be treated like a freak? Her depression had returned in force, weighing her down, leaving her heart feeling as though it were filled with lead. Gritting her teeth to keep from crying in pain Akane had stumbled away, ignoring the stares of the other nearby pedestrians.

In more despair than ever, she had resumed her aimless wandering. With that thought, her reflections caught up to the present. They then returned in full circle to the pain of learning of Ryoga's curse. And that Ranma had known of it.

How could Ranma have betrayed her like that? She remembered how she'd felt when she first thought she and Ranma had become friends. She'd had so much trouble coming to terms with the idea she could be friends with _any_ boy, but Ranma had seemed different. She could talk to him, and he'd listen and talk back. That wasn't like any other boy. They had trained together. They'd teamed up against the Golden Pair. Ranma had helped with her exercises when she got out of the hospital. He'd helped after that stupid locker room incident. She'd started thinking he was someone she could depend on.

But now ... Had it all been meaningless? Or one-sided? How could he have let that pervert Hibiki sleep in her bed, knowing the truth all the time? What if Hibiki had tried to ... molest her? How could Ranma not care?

She had thought he was better than the other boys she knew. All those days she'd spent trapped in his head, he'd certainly seemed utterly unlike them. Had he changed somehow? Had it been pretend all along? Is this what came of trying to put trust in a boy?

Akane had no desire whatever to go home. The very thought of seeing Ranma, knowing what she now knew - it made her nauseous. She couldn't stand him, never wanted to see him again - and yet, at the same time, she wanted their friendship back. It hurt, it hurt so bad, finding her illusions shattered like this. Part of her wished she'd never found out, that everything was the way it had been before, that she and Ranma were still friends, even if it was just an illusion.

Hands thrust deep in her pockets, Akane turned down a side street, totally focused on her own thoughts, unaware of anyone around her. Unaware, that is, until she kicked a can out of her way and heard a voice snarl, "Hey! Watch what you're doing, bastard!"

Akane looked up. A looming, heavyset young man stood before her, his face twisted in disgust, his hands curled into fists. Her senses sharpened instinctively, taking note of everything about the man and his companions, whether she wanted such knowledge or not. Which she didn't. Deciding to ignore the jerk, Akane shrugged indifferently and started to walk around him.

Except he stepped in front of her, bringing her to a halt, and pointed at the offending can. "You almost hit me with that!"

She shrugged again, apologizing listlessly, "Sorry."

"You sure don't _sound_ sorry, jerk!" he snapped. "Maybe I oughta _make_ you sorry!"

Akane stopped short with surprise at his boorish behavior. No one had ever spoken to her quite like that before; the idiots at school usually proclaimed their devotion when they attacked. Then with a mental smack of her forehead, Akane recollected her current male appearance. Her thoughts whirled as she tried to realign her viewpoint to this unfamiliar situation.

Even as these thoughts went through her head, her martial arts training had reacted automatically. Her senses shifted into hyper, noting all possible obstacles and threats. In particular, the angry male she faced, with three pals to back him up, who were even now actively egging him on. A fight seemed all too likely.

Akane clenched her teeth, shifting in preparation should he choose to attack. This was something that she really, _really_ didn't need on top of everything else today. Frustration closed her throat so that her words came out in a grating growl. "I said I was sorry. I suggest you drop it."

The other three men lounging against a nearby wall grinned at her words, sensing the potential for a little entertainment, something to alleviate their current boredom. All four appeared to be in their late teens or perhaps just past twenty, a bit scruffy but not too much so. The trio by the wall watched with interest as they sipped from the cans of beer they held.

The one in front of her raised his fists, his smile stretching unpleasantly. "Oh, now I _know_ I gotta make you sorry." He shuffled forward.

Akane sighed, settling further into her loose limbed stance, seemingly unconcerned. When the man's arm shot forward, she snapped up one hand so that his fist slammed into her palm. Her fingers closed on his hand in a grip of steel. With a twist, Akane caused him to spin and drop to his knees, crying out in agony. He groped backward with his other hand, only to have it caught and held as well.

The three against the wall were watching with much wider eyes. They were still grinning though.

"Ready to accept my apology now?" Akane asked innocently.

The man gasped, struggling for another few seconds, involuntarily grunting from the pain. Then he drooped, not having drunk so much that he couldn't recognize a fight he was going to lose. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever," he said grumpily.

Akane released him, still wary. He rose to his feet, turning around slowly, rubbing his sore hand. Looking Akane up and down, he asked, "What are you? Some sort of circus strong man?"

She snorted at the image. "No. Just a martial artist." She paused, huffed out a breath. "I am sorry about the can. It ... hasn't been a good day."

The guy shrugged, already forgetting his earlier indignation. "Ah, forget it. No harm done." He turned and glanced at the stranger, high school age but impressively strong, seeing a gloomy look return to the boy's eyes. Feeling the stir of curiosity, he offered, "You wanna beer?"

Akane couldn't stop her eyebrows from lifting. "Uh, no. Thanks. I'm a martial artist. I don't ..."

He laughed good-humoredly. "What, not even one? You said it's been a bad day. And I'm betting it's worse than you're saying. You could prob'ly use something to take your mind off of it."

Akane shook her head, half dazed by the image of hanging around a group of boys who wouldn't be trying to hit on her. "No, really. I can't."

The other boys, who had been disappointed by the anticlimactic fight, were perking back up at the prospect of a new drinking buddy. At least it would be something different. One of them took a swig and said, "I'll bet it's a woman. Right?"

Akane winced at the image of her having 'woman' problems. Then again, Ranma _was_ a girl part of the time, wasn't he? The thought of him brought the black mood back, as strong as ever. "Not exactly," she said, "just ... a friend. Sort of."

Another guy laughed. "Yeah, it's a pain when they wanna be friends, ain't it? O'course, it's a pain if they don't, too. In fact, they're pains all around. Especially when they're not around." He sighed, getting depressed himself. "My own girl's everything to me. And sometimes she drives me right up a wall."

Akane looked at him in exasperation. "I'm betting you drive her up the wall just as much. Probably more."

He laughed. "Yeah, I'd say you got that right." He grabbed a fresh can of beer and tossed it to Akane, who caught it by reflex.

Before she could toss the can back, the first guy told her, "Go ahead. Drown your sorrows. You got the right."

Akane stared down at the can, disbelief evident in her expression. "Sorry, but there's no way this could make me feel better."

They all laughed at that. The one who had picked the fight said, "Of course it won't make you feel better. The idea's to make you not feel."

Akane continued to stare at the can. ‹What I'd give to not feel anything right now,› she thought morosely. ‹I wish I could forget this day ever happened. Can something like this really take it away for a while?› In a dream she popped the tab, then stared at it again, hesitating.

"Go ahead," one of them encouraged. "Or would you really rather go on moping over her?"

‹Him,› Akane corrected mentally. Then she threw her head back and took a deep swallow. She immediately choked on the stuff. Wiping her sleeve across her mouth, she demanded to know, "Ugh! How can you drink this?"

General laughter again. "It grows on you," one of them said. "Give it another try."

Akane leaned against a convenient pole, trying to remember how a boy would look doing so. She tried another swallow. Then another. "It still tastes ... foul," she ventured.

"I bet you won't say that after you finish the can," he replied.

"I bet I will," she said, her nose wrinkling. The pain was still there. She drank again, deeply.

One of the men launched into a long, involved tale about the delivery service he worked for, and the crappy, ancient bicycle they gave him to ride. One day he'd walked into the executive office of a company to deliver a package, only to find the secretary in there as well, with the pair leaning against the desk going at it hot and heavy. Akane almost decked him at that point for telling such a perverted story.

Except before she could, he laughed and told them that after they got over their shock at him walking in, they guy yanked up his pants and ran out. It turned out that the woman was the boss. She just nonchalantly pulled her skirt back down, rebuttoned her blouse, then signed for the package. Like it didn't bother her at all.

Akane's mind was reeling from having her assumptions turned inside out. Finding the can in her hand inexplicably empty, and needing something to deal with her befuddlement, she grabbed another can, popped it open, and drank deep. It seemed to help a little, so she drank some more.

Not long after, if a student from Furinkan High had happened to walk down that street, he would have been surprised to see "Ranma" standing among a group of older boys, drinking beer. Not laughing with them, or at least only rarely, but instead mostly staring at them in confusion. However, the real Ranma would be spared any difficult questions on Monday as none of his schoolmates happened to pass by.

As for Akane, she was struggling through increasingly hazy perceptions to comprehend the behavior of these men. Yes, a few of their stories were as perverted as she expected, but mostly they made themselves the butt of their own jokes. It just didn't fit with how she expected a group of guys to behave. She rationalized her continued presence as an effort to understand why they weren't acting the way she expected.

Besides, there was still beer left, and the pain hadn't gone away yet.

Thus it came to pass that, late in the afternoon, Akane came stumbling down the street on which she lived. She stared blearily at the sign beside the gate, slowly tracing out the kanji characters with her fingertip. Satisfied that this really was her home, she shoved the gate open and nearly fell through.

Ranma came out of the house, drawn by who knew what impulse. He stared at Akane, who was wearing his body, as she staggered forward. Deep worry blossomed within him, wondering what could be wrong. Yet he froze at the very point of jumping to her aid as she stopped suddenly, gazing at him unfocused, before her features twisted in fury.

"How c-could you!" she screamed.

"What?" He leaned back as if struck. "What's wrong?"

Akane took two steps forward and swung with a wild slap. When Ranma sidestepped, bewildered, she fell to her knees and then flat on her face. Rolling to her side, she struggled back up.

"You ... you ... I hate you!" she yelled.

The other family members appeared, drawn by the shouts but holding back, not coming too close. They stared at the tableau before them, two Ranma's, one of them enraged and swaying slightly, the other confused. It didn't seem reasonable to get between them.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Ranma's own voice was louder now. "Where have you _been_ since this morning? I went searching when you didn't come back from your jog. Why are you yelling? Why ..."

"You know why!" Akane shouted, moisture collecting at the corners of her eyes. "He's P-P-P-chan!"

"Ryoga?" Ranma said, dumbfounded. "But you knew that. You ..."

"Aahhh!" Akane screamed wordlessly, then launched a flying kick. This time Ranma just stood in place, staring, as she missed him by a full meter. She landed on her feet and promptly fell over again.

The similarities to a few past experiences with his father clicked into place. "You're drunk!" he accused incredulously.

"I am not!" she told him forcefully, climbing back to her feet. "I only had ..." Lips moving soundlessly, she held up her left hand, and used her right to point to her index finger, then her middle finger, then her ring finger, then her pinky, then said, "um, I'm missing some fingers."

"Oh, jeez. Come on." Ranma stepped to her side. When Akane tried to punch him, he ducked the fist, spinning her around and grabbing her from behind. He then started marching her toward the house.

Except he reckoned without her strength. She broke his hold and spun around, seizing his shirt and preparing to throw him. Except she stopped, looking blank for a moment, before saying, "I do- don't f-feel so good." At which point she threw up all down both of their fronts and slid to her knees.

Through gritted teeth Ranma said, "You just wait 'til the next time I have you in the dojo." Taking a deep breath, he reached down and lifted Akane by one of her arms. With surprise, he saw Kasumi on her other side, lifting on the other arm. "Thanks," he told the older girl.

"Let's get her into the bathroom," Kasumi suggested. "A cold shower might help. Besides, you need to wash up too."

Ranma stared at her wide-eyed. "I can't bathe with Akane!" he cried.

Kasumi repeated herself. "A _cold_ shower. Which means she'll be male. Which means it has to be you."

"She's still gonna kill me!" he moaned.

"She's in no condition to do anything of the sort," Kasumi pointed out. "As for later, after she sobers up - I intend to have a little talk with her. You don't need to worry."

As they reached the front of the house, Nabiki spoke up. "Ranmaaa," she said, in an overly cute voice which set alarm bells ringing. "Did my ears deceive me? Or did I hear you admit that P-chan is Ryoga? Jusenkyo, perhaps?"

Ranma winced, but there wasn't any point in lying. "Yeah, but ..."

Nabiki interrupted, no longer amused, "And you let him sleep in my little sister's bed? Knowing all the time?"

Soun went full demon head. "Ranma-_kun_!"

Ranma cowered. "She knew! She knew! I told her!"

Akane mumbled something, hanging between himself and Kasumi. Ranma looked down, wondering if she were conscious after all.

Nabiki stared at him hard, then her expression grew puzzled. She looked down at her sister. "It didn't sound to me like Akane knew."

Ranma shrugged as best he could while supporting the heavy weight of his twin. "I swear, I told her. I did." He looked down again. "I don't think we're gonna get any answers right away. Can this wait a bit?"

Nabiki sighed, but nodded, stepping aside. A moment later, the two fathers also moved out of the way. Ranma and Kasumi half helped, half dragged Akane down the hallway to the furoba. The older girl then stepped back out and a moment later Soun was pushed into the room, protesting, "But ... but ..."

"She's a boy right now, and you're her father," Kasumi said, and shut the door behind him.

Ranma quickly stripped off his own clothes. Wrinkling his nose in disgust, he rinsed them in the sink and tossed them in the laundry bin. Bowing to the inevitable, he helped Soun to strip the person he was trying very hard to think of as a boy and not as Akane, and treated her clothes the same as his own.

They manhandled Akane into the inner room, stuffed her into the shower stall, and Ranma let Soun turn on the cold water. Soaking a towel in some hot water, he scrubbed at the residue on his chest which had soaked through his shirt. He turned back to the shower as Akane started spluttering. Then she opened her eyes.

"Wh-whass going on?" She looked down at herself, then up at the two males in horror. "Ranma? Dad?! Why are you in here? Why am I nag- naka- ... no clothes?"

"It was Kasumi's idea," Ranma said, feeling cowardly about passing the blame but noting that it did derail Akane for the moment. "You're a boy right now. And you threw up all over yourself. Me too."

Akane screwed her eyes up inside her head, thinking back. Then her mouth twisted in anger. "Tha- Thass right. I'm gonna _kill_ you!"

She stumbled out of the shower, but Soun caught her by the arm. His male daughter spun dizzily at the end of his grip, and he pushed her down to sit on a stool. Akane looked up at him with a hurt expression of betrayal.

"Now what I wanna know ..." Ranma began.

Akane turned back toward him, baring her teeth. "Get out!" she screamed. Grabbing a nearby pail, she threw it at him, watching him deflect it with his forearm. She then threw soap, a brush, the stool she was sitting on. "Out! Out! Out!"

"Dammit! Ow!" Ranma stumbled back from the onslaught. "Okay! Okay! I'm going!" He departed the room in haste, sliding the door closed behind him. With a long suffering sigh he pulled on a yukata, then went to report his failure to Kasumi.

After Soun helped his yukata-clad daughter up the stairs to her bedroom, Kasumi came in carrying a glass of water and a towel. She gazed with concern upon her little sister, sitting at the edge of the bed, head down, the picture of a dejected Ranma. Walking over briskly, she said, "Here, let's get you back to the right gender, okay?"

Akane nodded uncaringly. Kasumi poured a little hot water on her head until she was a girl again, then dried her sister with the towel. After that, she sat down beside Akane on the bed and put her arm around the girl, quietly saying, "So. Ryoga has a Jusenkyo curse, and he's been P-chan all along?"

Akane nodded, not looking up. She replied, the words emerging hoarsely, "He's been using his curse to sneak into my bed all this time." She paused for a moment, then went on brokenly, "And he knew! That baka knew, the whole time!"

"Ranma says he told you," Kasumi said gently.

"He's lying!" Akane said sharply. "He never told me! He just let that pig sleep in my bed!"

"Are you sure?" Kasumi asked. "Ranma may have his flaws, but ... it seems a peculiar sort of lie for him to tell."

"Well he is!" the younger girl said indignantly. She leaned against her older sister. "He jus' doesn't wanna ad- admit he was wrong."

Kasumi sighed, realizing they would have to wait to get this untangled. "Would you like some lunch?"

Akane put a hand to her stomach. "Uh ... no. Not really. I jus' wanna ... wanna forget today happened."

"Would you like to take a nap?" Kasumi next asked.

Akane nodded her head to this. So Kasumi helped her out of the robe and into a pair of pajamas. After Akane lay down, Kasumi pulled the blankets up and tucked them around her. She closed the curtains, then sat on the bed and gently stroked the hair on Akane's head while singing softly. After a time Akane's eyes closed. With a sad smile Kasumi stood and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

* * *

Pain. Blinding pain. Searing pain. Eternal agony, neverending.

After a time Akane realized that she was alive. And awake. After a further time she realized that no one was, in fact, torturing her. She was lying in her bed. And for some reason the top of her head had split open.

Whimpering softly, she managed to move an arm up and feel her forehead. Surprisingly, it seemed to be intact. The next test was to open her eyes. At first she thought she had gone blind, but then she realized that the room was simply dark. It must be nighttime. She continued to lie there, having no desire at the moment to move.

As the memories of the day returned to her, she told herself, ‹This is a hangover. I don't believe I got drunk. Me. Oh God! Why, why would anyone do this to themselves?› Another whimper escaped her throat.

To her intense and bitter grief, nature insisted that she arise from her bed. The idea was so repellant that for the briefest moment she actually contemplated having an accident. At that, she mentally slapped herself, and slowly, millimeter by millimeter, brought herself to a sitting position. Equally slowly, she stood up.

Something was out of place. Ranma and their fathers had honed her awareness, and somehow she knew that there was something about her room which was none of her doing. Unable to ignore the feeling, she stood and let her eyes sweep around. Then she saw it. There was something on her desk.

Creeping over there gradually, she placed one arm on the desktop, leaning on it, while the other reached for the lamp. Light stabbed into her eyes, making her cry out involuntarily. Akane flipped the switch back off, berating herself for not thinking of what she was doing. Opening her eyes, she pushed the curtains to the side, letting a little moonlight in.

It was a plate. There was some sort of food on it, which made her stomach twist horribly. But there was also a bottle, and a glass of water. Could it be? She lifted the container, and saw with ecstasy that it was indeed filled with Advil. Maximum strength. Fighting against the pain she managed to get it open, and shook a dozen or so pills into her palm. She remembered that the dosage was a single pill.

Fingers shaking, she laboriously chased a pill around her palm until she picked it up and plopped it into her mouth. Barely stopping to think about it, she followed it with a second. Then she picked up the glass and swallowed them together with a large gulp of water. Briefly she considered a third pill, but decided against it. She dropped the remaining pills on the plate, rather than trying to get them back into the bottle.

Working hard not to stumble, Akane shuffled down the hall and took care of what was necessary. Without making any more mistakes about light switches. She reentered her room and sat down on the bed. Looking at the clock she saw that it was past midnight. A little arithmetic told her that she must have slept for more than eight hours already.

It also occurred to her that she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. She looked at the food on her desk again, then looked away hurriedly, bile rising in her throat. Akane decided that going hungry for one night wouldn't kill her.

So now what? It was a ridiculous hour to get up. Besides, if she started moving around the house, she'd probably disturb other people, all of whom were no doubt asleep right now. She could always go out to the dojo, of course, but she certainly didn't feel like exercising, and there wasn't much other reason to go out there. After all, if she just wanted to sit around, her room was as comfortable as anywhere.

The agony in her head had not yet diminished. Could she manage to go back to sleep, escape the pain? Thinking about it, Akane realized that she _was_ exhausted. The day had been horrible, the memories were pushing back in, bringing the ugly feelings with them. It would be a mercy if she could fall asleep.

So she lay back down and closed her eyes. Recalling lessons on meditation, she relaxed her muscles and worked on calming her roiling thoughts. The pain from her head subsided, and her mind grew still. A drifting sensation carried her aloft, the world around her growing mercifully dim.

Then Akane blinked in sudden surprise. Somehow, without any memory of doing so, she was sitting up on the side of her bed. Her room was filled with sunlight, the curtains open. She was dressed, in an ordinary outfit of black pants and a dark blue Chinese shirt. ‹Wasn't I ... asleep? When did I get dressed?›

She walked over to her door and turned the knob. Only the door wouldn't open. She whispered a mild swear word and tried harder, but it wouldn't budge. She pulled with all of her considerable strength, still to no avail. Growing angry, she kicked the door to smash through it, but her foot bounced off with no damage. In desperation she started banging on it, calling out for anyone.

"Whatcha want, Akane?" The voice on the other side was cocky, self-assured.

"I can't get the door open," she said worriedly, pressing her hands against the door. Then she remembered. "Hey! I'm still angry with you."

She heard his sigh. "Yeah. I got that idea. What I still don't know is why. Hang on." She heard the door rattle, followed by several bangs. "Uh. I can't seem to get it open. Hang on. Let me see if I can get outta my room through the window."

Akane wondered, puzzled, as to what Ranma had meant by that. She heard some more banging, and swearing, and then footsteps coming back to the door. "Uh, Akane? I know this sounds stupid, but I can't break the windows. Or open 'em. I seem to be stuck in here."

Although she was still furious with him, the confusion over his words was too great to ignore. "What do you mean, you're stuck 'in there'? Aren't you out in the hall?"

"Uh, no," he answered. "I'm in my room. You're the one in the hall."

"No I'm not," Akane told him heatedly. "I'm in _my_ room. _You're_ the one in the hall."

"You can't be in your room," Ranma said. "This is the door to the hall."

"This is my bedroom door, baka! Stop fooling around!" Akane half-yelled.

"Are you still drunk?" Ranma asked. "This is _my_ bedroom door. Uh, hang on." She heard some shuffling sounds. Then silence. Followed by more silence.

"Ranma?" she asked.

"Something damn weird's going on," he said. "I tried to look under the door. I can't. It touches the floor. It looks like it's _stuck_ to the floor. There ain't any least little gap. And I know that ain't right."

Akane stared at the bottom of her door in incomprehension. He was right. There was supposed to be a small space between the bottom of the door and the floor. Very small as she remembered, but still present. Except now it wasn't. The door was definitely in contact with the floor.

"What's going on?" she asked in quiet alarm. Moving rapidly to her window, she pulled as hard as she could to open it, but failed miserably. Hitting it did no good, the glass simply wouldn't break. In rising panic, she moved to the wall separating her room from Nabiki's. Praying that her sister would forgive her, Akane kicked hard enough to take down the whole wall. She didn't even leave a mark.

The feeling of being trapped in a room brought with it some vague sense of familiarity. After a moment she got it. All of those dreams of being unable to get out of a room, with that, that boy, Ryoga Hibiki, holding her, pressing against her ... Akane shuddered. Still, it was familiar.

That was when Akane remembered. That she didn't remember. Waking up and getting dressed. She gave a resigned chuckle. "I don't believe it," she said, speaking for her own sake but out loud. "This is a dream. I'm still asleep."

"Huh?" The voice was still there, on the other side of the door. "It's a dream? But ..."

"Oh, go away," Akane said. "You're just a figment of my imagination. And I'm still mad at the real you."

"Hey!" The voice was indignant now. "I ain't your imagination. You're my imagination! I'm the one dreaming."

"Ha, ha. Very funny." Akane flopped down onto her bed. "My subconscious must be weirder than I thought."

"Dammit," Ranma said, sounding resigned now. "You're as crazy in my dreams as you are when I'm awake."

"I'm crazy?" It was Akane's turn to be indignant again. "Me? You're the one who knew all about Hibiki's curse and wouldn't tell me."

"I did so," Ranma told her in exasperation. "Why d'you keep saying I didn't?"

"Except in my dreams," Akane said thoughtfully, ignoring him. "You did try to warn me then. You kept asking why I let Hibiki in. Of course, it wasn't really Ranma. It was my own subconscious. Which," she looked consideringly at the door, "come to think of it, is _you_." She got up and padded over to the door again, sitting beside it.

"So tell me, oh subconscious, how did I know P-chan was Hibiki? What clue did you spot that I missed?"

"Why am I having this conversation with myself?" is what Ranma said, not answering her question. "Since you're just me. Then again ..." He paused, before going on slowly. "The real Akane said she didn't know. Maybe this dream is supposed to help me figure out why. Let's see ..." He started humming quietly.

"Just answer the question, baka," Akane said, fed up with him, or her, since he was her, or ... well, she was fed up anyway.

There was a sound of fingers snapping on the other side of the door, together with a brief laugh. "How stupid can I get? You're me, and you're telling me what I got to do to figure it out. Answer your question." He laughed again. "Okay, here goes. The way you knew P-chan was Ryoga was because I told you. In the letter. The one I gave you the night before you told me you loved the bastard."

Getting angry again, Akane tried not to shout as she said, "I thought we settled that! I never told you I loved ..." She stopped. A vague memory surfaced. Of Ranma, asking her why she was letting P-chan sleep in her bed. And herself telling him it was because she loved him.

But ... but ... the only way Ranma could have thought that meant she loved Hibiki was if ... He really would have had to think that she knew P-chan was Hibiki. But he hadn't told her! No matter how many times he said he had, he hadn't! He'd just told her again. No. Wait. That was her subconscious that told her. What had he said? A letter? What letter?

"What letter?" she asked, intending the words only for herself.

"I just told you," Ranma answered. "The one I gave you that night. The day after he showed up. I came in your room and handed it to you. You read it after I left."

Akane blinked. At his words the memory finally surfaced. She'd been doing homework. He'd come into her room, nervous. He'd handed her an envelope. He'd asked her to read it. She'd ... What had she done with it? She hadn't read it.

"I didn't read it," she whispered.

"What?" Ranma's cry was strangled. "Of all the stupid ... How could you not ..." He stopped, sighed. "Sorry. Forgot I was talking to myself. I wonder if that's really the answer though. Could the real Akane have possibly been stupid enough not to read it? Maybe I better ask her. After I wake up."

Feeling lighthead, Akane stood, and slowly walked to her desk. She'd been sitting there that night. She'd been concentrating on homework. Where ...? Her eyes focused on the drawer. She pulled it open ...

The world dissolved around her.

Akane sat bolt upright in bed, breathing hard. She glanced at her clock. Five in the morning. Light was already filtering in through the window.

Could it really be true? Could Ranma really have told her about P-chan in that letter? She scoffed at herself. There was no way for her subconscious to know what he'd written in that letter, any more than her conscious mind did. It was bound to be something completely unrelated.

Akane turned and looked at her desk, wondering, strangely reluctant. She had to force herself out of the bed, to walk slowly to the desk. She sat in the chair, staring at the drawer. She reached out and pulled it open, then started digging through the contents. A lot of other stuff had been put in here, burying the envelope. Out of sight. Out of mind.

There it was. She pulled it out, refusing to delay any longer. She flipped open the flap, yanked out the paper inside, unfolded it, read ...

The paper dropped from nerveless fingers. Fluttered to the ground.

Oh God! He _had_ told her! Weeks ago! Well, two weeks ago, though it seemed longer with everything that had happened since. How could she possibly face him?

Akane gave a soft, bitter laugh, as she realized that yesterday she hadn't wanted to face Ranma because he hadn't told her about P-chan. Now she didn't want to face him because he _had_ told her about P-chan.

"What am I going to do?" she asked herself quietly. Another thought occurred to her, causing her face to scrunch up. "And how the hell did I know this letter was about Hibiki's curse?" She shook her head, unable to answer the question.

She began pacing back and forth across her floor, worrying over what she was going to do when Ranma finally got up. As she thought about it further, Akane realized that Ranma wasn't the only person she'd prefer to avoid for a while. The thought of listening to _everyone_ in the house either lecturing or teasing her about the state in which she had come home yesterday was daunting. Worst of all would be the need to see the disappointed look Kasumi would give her. _That_ notion was almost as humiliating as the thought of facing Ranma over the unread letter.

Akane stopped in her pacing. She might not be able to escape permanently, but she _could_ delay the moment of reckoning. It was Sunday. Even Kasumi wouldn't be up for almost an hour; the others even later. If she slipped out of the house now ...

Suiting action to thoughts, Akane pulled off her pajamas and tugged on some clothes. It occurred to her, with some relief, that the killer headache was gone, but she shrugged the thought off as unimportant right now. She wolfed down what had been left for her on the plate, not really paying attention. Tiptoeing down the hallway and the steps, she slipped on her shoes and stepped outside with a sigh of relief at having made a clean getaway. Feeling a little more cheerful, she walked quickly toward the gate.

"Going somewhere?" a voice asked behind her.

For a moment she almost tried to run for it. Dread closing tightly around her, Akane turned to face her oldest sister. The eyes, as expected, were disappointed.

"I thought a walk might clear my head," she whispered.

Kasumi nodded consideringly. "It might, at that. And I suppose the fact it would also allow you to put off facing any of us never entered your mind." Akane had the grace to blush. Kasumi, who was already dressed for the day and wearing her own shoes, went on relentlessly, "Since I'm certain you had no such ulterior motives in mind, you won't have any objection if I accompany you, will you?"

Akane hung her head. "No, oneechan," she answered pitifully.

The two young women walked for some time without exchanging any further words, Akane growing more and more miserable as she waited for the axe to fall. They came to a small grassy area between two buildings, supplied with a few benches, and sat down. After allowing the silence to build for a while longer, Kasumi said quietly, "I trust it goes without saying that I'm disappointed."

Her sister drooped even more. "I know," she said meekly.

"I made the mistake of thinking it wouldn't be necessary to talk to you about drinking, when you started high school. I assumed your martial arts training would keep you from such indulgences."

Akane sank even lower, saying nothing.

"At the same time," the tone of Kasumi's voice changed slightly, "I want you to know that I realize you're only human. You're going to make mistakes from time to time. We all do. I just hope you'll take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes." She paused, then resumed speaking quietly, almost as if talking to herself, "I certainly learned a lesson the time that I came home, er, intoxicated. I could wish the memory were less vivid."

Akane nearly fell off the bench. "You?!"

Kasumi nodded, smiling slightly. "I know that you and Nabiki tend to think of me as a fixture around the house, but I do go out occasionally. In any case, this was back in high school. I was seventeen, in my second year, so at least I was a year older than you at the time."

She sighed. "Not that that's any excuse. I was at a party. I let a friend talk me into a drink. She said that it was more juice than alcohol. There probably would have been no harm if I'd only had the one." She sighed again. "When I got home, you and Nabiki were already in bed. Father was still up, though. He managed to get me over the toilet just before I emptied my stomach. Then he put me to bed."

A memory returned to Akane. "Um, did I really, uh, puke all over Ranma?"

Kasumi smiled again. "Thoroughly." Akane groaned, and Kasumi added, "I wouldn't worry about it too much. He's not the squeamish sort. He'll probably tease you about it, though. I think he has the right to that much."

Akane, head still hanging, replied, "I suppose so."

Kasumi lifted an eyebrow at her calm reaction regarding Ranma. However, she did not immediately pursue it. Instead she asked, "You want to tell me how it happened?"

"Not really," Akane said. She took a deep breath. "I was out jogging when I ran into Hibiki. He thought I was Ranma. He said some things that made it clear he has a Jusenkyo curse, and that he was pretending to be my pet." She hesitated only a moment before adding, "I said some pretty unpleasant things to him in return." Akane refused to sound apologetic as she said this last.

"So anyway," she went on without further pause, "I realized Ranma had known, and I was, uh, _really_ depressed. Then someone saw me transform and acted like I was a freak, which made me feel even worse. And after _that_, I had a run in with some guys who were drinking - I was still in my cursed form at the time - except we ended up not fighting, and they offered me a beer, and ... I don't know why, but I drank it. And I had some more. And then things start getting fuzzy." She shook her head, as if unable to piece together why she had done what she had done. "I seem to remember trying to beat up Ranma at some point."

"Not very well, I'm afraid," Kasumi said.

Akane snorted softly. "I'm sure." Then her voice turned plaintive. "Was he, Ranma, very mad at me?"

"No, not very," Kasumi told her. "I think he was more confused than angry. He helped get you cleaned up, and when we couldn't wake you for supper, he took something to your room for when you did wake up."

Akane gasped. "You mean _he's_ the one that left the Advil there? I thought it was you." With utmost sincerity she added, "He's a saint. An honest to God saint. And after I ... I ..." She trailed off, shaking her head.

Kasumi's eyebrows had risen again. "The way you were talking yesterday, I thought you considered his actions unforgivable. Concerning Ryoga. You've changed your mind?"

Akane felt fresh shame wash through her. She nodded. "I ... made a discovery this morning. Something I finally remembered. Back when P-chan first showed up, Ranma gave me a note in an envelope, and asked me to read it. I put it in my desk and forgot about it. This morning ... I finally read it." She breathed in and out heavily. "It was about Hibiki's curse."

Her older sister said, firmly, "I assume that you plan to apologize?"

Akane squirmed. "I ... guess so. Yeah." She sighed. "Why didn't the baka _make_ me read it?"

"I don't know," Kasumi responded. "Why didn't you trust in your friendship, and ask him about it? Instead of going off and getting drunk with a group of hoodlums you didn't even know?"

"I don't think they were that bad," Akane said half-heartedly. She was silent for several long seconds. "Okay. I'll apologize. And I'll try to trust him from now on." After a few more seconds she added, "And no more drinking. I promise."

Kasumi smiled at that. "You don't need to go overboard with your promises. In any case, may I assume you've learned your lesson?"

Her younger sister shuddered. "Definitely. I never want to live through another hangover, ever." She finally turned her face toward Kasumi. "What happened, you know, the time that you did this? Did Dad do anything? Say anything?"

"He said the same that I just said to you. After I finally got up the next morning - I remember that you and Nabiki thought I had the flu - I promised father I'd never drink again. He told me that I didn't have to go that far, and that he was hardly one to preach about moderation in such matters, though he hoped I'd do better than he had in such regards. Then he grounded me for a week."

"Oh." Akane's mouth twisted wryly. "I suppose I'll be grounded as well."

"If he thinks about it," Kasumi sighed. "You know that father has never been a very strict disciplinarian. However, I believe you ought to consider yourself so, even if he doesn't get around to it himself."

Akane nodded, embarrassed. "Okay," she said. Then she managed a ghost of a smile. "In that case, I guess I'm not supposed to be out here. I expect it's time to head back."

"Yes," Kasumi agreed. "There's someone to whom you need to apologize."

Akane, bleakly agreeing, stood up and followed her sister back the way they had come.

* * *

Back at the house the hour was still quite early, so no one else had yet awakened. Akane had some more breakfast before going out to the dojo to practice. An hour later she heard a commotion outside and surmised, correctly, that Ranma and his father were finally up and were sparring in the yard. Still putting off the eventual necessary confrontation, she remained in the dojo, practicing one of the aerial kata Ranma had taught her, gradually losing herself in the exercise.

"Hey! You keep jumping around like that, you might get dizzy. I don't need you puking all over me again!"

Akane spun around to see Ranma standing in the door, grinning. She lowered her eyes, unable to meet his gaze.

"Hey, c'mon!" Ranma exclaimed cheerfully, guessing she was depressed over her behavior yesterday and trying to jolly her out of it. "I thought you made kinda a cute drunk. Or at least, you would've if you hadn't been wearing my body at the time."

Akane cringed. "Do we have to talk about _that_ aspect of this mess? I don't ever want to see another beer as long as I live."

Ranma's grin grew even wider. "I'll bet. I'd also wager good money you wanted to die when you woke up. I remember I did. And pop made sure to drive the lesson home good and hard."

"You've been drunk before?" Akane asked in wonder. Had everyone she knew done such a thing at some time in the past? She had a sudden urge to go ask Nabiki.

Ranma laughed self-deprecatingly. "Once. Once was enough. My pop would get plastered from time to time, when he could afford it. I wondered what the attraction was. So once, oh I guess I was fourteen at the time, my pop had passed out but there were a couple of bottles left. So I tried 'em." He shook his head. "Stupidest thing I've ever done. Well, except for ... yeah. Oh, and then there was ... ahem. Okay. Maybe it doesn't qualify as the absolute stupidest thing I ever did, but it sure as hell wasn't smart."

Akane walked over and sat on a box, "We need to talk," she said.

Ranma joined her, squatting nearby. "Yeah, we do. When you yelled at me for not telling you about Ryoga, it made me realize something. Back after you first found the pig, I gave you a note. You didn't read it did you?"

Akane buried her face in her hands. "Why couldn't you have asked me that _twenty-four hours_ ago? It would have saved a load of grief. I finally read it this morning."

Ranma mumbled, "I don't believe it." Louder, "Of all the dumb ... _Why_ didn't you read it? A couple weeks ago, I mean. What'd you think I gave it to you for?"

"Hey! I was busy with homework!" Akane protested. "I put it aside to read later and, uh ... I forgot about it." At the face he made, she shouted, "Why didn't you stick around and _make_ me read it!"

"'Cause I didn't think you were stupid enough to forget it!" he shouted in turn.

"And for that matter," she continued at high volume, "why did you write me a _note_! Couldn't you have just said, 'Hey, Akane. That pig over there is Ryoga Hibiki.' Was that too _complicated_ for you?"

Ranma stood up, glaring. "I didn't tell you because I promised him I wouldn't tell anybody! How'd I know you were gonna make a pet out of him? I wrote it down so I wouldn't break my promise!"

Akane joined him in standing. "Well you still could have made sure I read it! You could have asked me about it the next day! Instead you just ask why I'm still letting my pet sleep in my bed, and then you go and imagine that I've fallen in love with the creepy pervert! Baka!"

"I'm not the baka who can't spot the fact that her pet is a guy with a curse, baka!" Ranma yelled right back. "So what're you shouting at me for?"

"I'm not shouting!" Akane shouted. "I'm apologizing!"

That stopped Ranma in his tracks. "This ... is an apology?" he asked. He added thoughtfully, "Loudest damn apology I've ever heard. Isn't someone supposed to, you know, accept the blame when they apologize? If I'd known you could accuse people instead, maybe I wouldn't be so stubborn about apologizing for things myself."

Akane's face was turning red. She looked down at her feet. Almost too quietly to even hear it herself, she mumbled, "I'm sorry."

"What was that?" Ranma asked, cocking his head toward her.

"I'm sorry, damn it!" she snapped, still not looking up. Akane took a deep breath, and added more calmly, "I'm sorry I didn't read your note when I said I would. And I'm sorry I accused you of not telling me. Okay?"

Ranma shrugged. "Okay. And I should've made sure that you'd read the damn thing. So, um, sorry 'bout that."

Akane released a long breath, letting tension flow out with it. She gave him a weak smile. "Friends again?"

"Still," Ranma stated decisively. "You don't get to stop being my friend just 'cause you throw a punch at me. If you did, I'm not sure I'd have any friends. And what's a little vomit between buddies?"

Akane grimaced at the last image, but accepted his acceptance with relief. Her voice was only a trifle shaky when she suggested, "So ... ready to do some training?"

"Yeah," he replied confidently, "but not in here. I want to work with you on jumping off the roof. Making sure you can land safely. Also, later on we gotta talk about turning the training up a few more notches. I ain't forgotten what I promised you a few days ago, when Shampoo showed up."

Truthfully, Akane had entertained a sliver of hope that he _had_ forgotten. She still didn't see how he could possibly train her any harder than he already was. Or how she could survive it if he did. But she'd rather die than admit anything of the sort. So she said nothing as she followed him outside.

"Okay, let's get up to the roof," Ranma told her. "This is higher than you've done before, but the principle's the same. You land the same way for an eight meter drop as you do for four meters."

Listening carefully, Akane followed him up to the roof.

* * *

The whole family gathered for lunch, and Akane's sisters were glad to see that she and Ranma appeared to have made up. The fathers, naturally, had never considered any other possibility.

"So," Nabiki said, "just to be clear. Ryoga Hibiki has a Jusenkyo curse, he turns into a pig, and he's been pretending to be your pet?"

"Yeah." Akane's face grew stormy. "The idiot blabbed about it, thinking I was Ranma, when he ran into me yesterday morning. I wanted to flatten him into a paste _so bad_!" She sighed. "But he was too good. So I had to settle for showing him who I was." Her lips formed an evil grin. "His face was priceless. I wish I'd had a camera. Then I dropped a hint about what I'd have a vet do to the pig if I ever found it in my room again."

Nabiki matched her smile. "Vicious. And probably effective."

Ranma on the other hand looked uncomfortable. "You wouldn't really ...?"

Akane gave him a measuring look. "Maybe. Maybe not. If Hibiki's smart, we'll never have to find out."

Nabiki looked back and forth between them. "And what's up with you not knowing about it, but Ranma insisting he told you? Did he or didn't he?"

Akane looked down. "The baka wrote me a note, telling me all about it. Which I, uh, ... sort of ... mislaid." She quietly muttered the last word.

Nabiki stared at her, astonished. Her lips quivered. Then she started laughing. "You mean ... you ... he ..." It took her several seconds before she could say anything further. Stifling a few lingering chuckles, she managed to get out, "So all this time Ranma thought you knew, and must've been wondering why the _hell_ you were still keeping the pig as a pet. That's just precious. You two ..." She trailed off in some more chuckles.

"It's not _that_ funny," Ranma grumbled.

Taking a long drag from his cigarette, Soun cheerfully told everyone, "All's well that ends well!" Then he frowned, eyeing his youngest daughter warily. "Although I suppose we ought to discuss the condition in which you arrived home yesterday."

She didn't meet his eye. "Kasumi already talked with me about it this morning. We were thinking I should be grounded for a week."

"Oh, ah ..." Her father was rather taken aback, not prepared for this turn. "Well, I suppose that's all right, then."

"Afraid there's a problem with that," Ranma announced, surprising everyone. Particularly Akane. "I was thinking of taking Akane on a training trip. Starting Thursday. Through the weekend."

"I'm afraid not," Kasumi protested calmly. "You've got school."

Ranma shrugged. "It won't kill us to skip a couple of days. Akane needs this."

"You can't cut classes!" Kasumi argued. "School is important. I agree that Akane needs your training, but ..."

"No," Ranma told her with polite, but unexpected, firmness. "First Ryoga. Then Shampoo. Who's next? You and Nabiki were right. I need to help Akane get as good as she can, as fast as she can. We'll make up the schoolwork, I promise. Besides, we're paying for it. Why should the school care if we miss a few days?"

Nabiki told him with a wry smile, "I think they'll care anyway." But then she turned to her older sister and said, "He's right though. This is more important than a couple of days of school."

Akane spoke up, with uncharacteristic timidness. "Don't I get any say in this?"

Ranma and Nabiki both turned to face her, simultaneously declaring, "No."

"Akane cannot go," Kasumi told them all forcefully, certain that Ranma would give way if she made it clear this was not open for debate. "She's grounded."

Unfortunately, she hadn't reckoned on the subject under discussion. While the older girl could probably have cowed Ranma in most matters, this concerned martial arts. He didn't back down at all. "So she's grounded until Wednesday instead. If that ain't long enough, she can be punished more after we get back. Come to that, some of what she'll be going through, she's gonna think she's being punished regardless."

Akane swallowed hard upon hearing this statement. On the other hand, the notion that she wouldn't be getting out of being punished, exactly, made her more comfortable with the whole unexpected idea of going on a training trip.

Soun made his own decision known. "I agree completely with Ranma. Akane needs this training. Grounding her until Wednesday is sufficient."

Kasumi shot him her best betrayed look, almost causing the man to break down in tears. "It's impossible," she said. "They're a boy and a girl. They're _engaged_! They can't go off somewhere by themselves! It would be, it would be ... scandalous!"

"What do you think we're planning to do!" Akane responded, horrified. "I'd never ... whatever you were thinking of." Her expression softened. "Don't you trust me, Kasumi?"

Kasumi turned to her younger sister and gently said, "Of course I trust you, Akane." She paused for three heartbeats before adding, severely, "And two days ago I would have sworn I trusted you not to come home intoxicated."

Akane flinched in pain, then turned her gaze to her hands in her lap.

Now Genma weighed in. "What's the fuss? Like you said, they're engaged. If they do a little fooling around, all the better. Just means they'll get married even sooner."

The four teenagers regarded him with expressions ranging from disgust to disbelief. Soun held his tongue, preferring not to think of his little girl like that, but accepting that his friend had a point.

"Kasumi," Ranma turned his attention back to her, trying to persuade her to understand. "I suppose you're right about school being important. But I'm not asking her to drop out, just miss a couple of days. Keeping her alive is important, too."

Trying to match his persuasive tone, Kasumi suggested, "Summer break starts in another month. You could go on a training trip then."

"I intend to," Ranma told her, undercutting her argument. "But she needs the training now, too."

Kasumi looked at the faces around her, seeing that she had no support from any of them. Even Akane, although clearly nervous, appeared willing. Reluctantly, she concluded that there was no hope for it but to give in, then try to limit the damage. For one thing, Kasumi had no intention of letting them go off by themselves. "If you must do this, then you will need to have a chaperon."

Ranma shrugged. "Who were you thinking?" He turned toward Soun with a lifted eyebrow.

Kasumi regarded her father as well, with more than a little worry. She hadn't missed his lack of protest at Genma's notion. Despite being their father, she feared that he might prove an untrustworthy chaperon to the two teenagers. As for the other father present, she didn't even consider Genma for the role. In fact, Kasumi intended to actively argue against his going should he suggest it.

There were two other people available. Unfortunately, Nabiki was only a year older than Akane, and in any event she shouldn't be skipping school either. Which left ... "I believe that I will have to go myself," Kasumi told them gracefully.

"We're heading up into the mountains," Ranma said uneasily. "It's gonna be kind of a rough hike."

"I'm not as fragile as you think," Kasumi told him dismissively. "If you wish to go, then you're taking me with you." She glanced toward her father to see if he would attempt any objection,

Akane was a little surprised that Kasumi was being so vehement. Normally she was much more subtle about expressing her opinions. Whatever the reason, Akane was pleased for her own sake that her sister would be coming along. While she trusted Ranma not to have any perverted intentions, and certainly had no least desire to do anything inappropriate herself, still the idea of being alone with a boy in the middle of nowhere was a little scary. She'd be a lot more at ease knowing that Kasumi was there. Akane could only hope the trip wouldn't be too hard on her sister.

Ranma turned his regard on Akane. "You're taking this awful peaceful like. The way I sprung it on you, I thought sure you'd argue about it."

Akane gave him a lopsided smile. "I _am_ pretty nervous about what you might have in mind. But I want the training. So, no, I don't have any problem with the idea."

He pouted. "You're no fun today. Okay, let's try this. I also said it was time to teach you to swim. The spot I've got in mind has a nice little lake."

Akane felt the first stirrings of panic in her soul. Nabiki reached over and grabbed her younger sister's tea before it could slop out. Akane didn't even notice.

"But, but, I'll be too busy with martial arts training, won't I?" Akane protested. "It's only four days. There won't be time for swimming lessons."

Ranma smiled, feeling he was finally getting some minor revenge for yesterday. "Oh, don't worry. I promise, you'll be doing martial arts training from sunup to sundown. And after. But there won't be any problem slipping in some swimming lessons. After all, you're gonna spend part of the time on endurance training in that ice cold lake. No reason I can't teach you to swim at the same time, instead of just sitting around in the water."

Akane gave an 'eep' of fright. "You're planning to teach me to swim in freezing water?!"

Ranma just continued smiling. "Yep."

The young woman at his side barely managed not to whimper. Her expression, however, made her opinion of his plan crystal clear.

Genma started laughing at the sight. "Looks like your little fiancée is afraid of getting cold, m'boy," he said between chuckles. "I guess you'll just have to help warm her up, after."

Like flipping a switch, Akane's features shifted from fear to rage. The pitcher of ice water which had rested on the table throughout the meal slammed into the side of Genma's head. The dazed panda turned to regard the girl with a sorrowful expression, then picked his bowl up and continued eating.

* * *

When Kasumi walked into the dojo later that afternoon, Ranma and Akane immediately ceased their sparring, wondering what was up. They walked over to the door to join her, looking curiously at the piece of paper she was holding.

"I made a list of the supplies we'll need," the older girl told them without preamble, "and I've been checking on what we already have. I assume you have a tent and camping supplies of your own, Ranma?"

The boy nodded.

Kasumi smiled. "Good, then we have almost everything except for the food. I'll pick that up during the week. The only thing we still need for both of you are swimsuits. For the swimming lessons."

Puzzled, Akane stated, "I'm sure that my swimsuits from last summer will still fit."

Kasumi gave her a gentle but sad smile. "I think you would look a little peculiar in them once you step into the _cold_ water."

Akane's jaw dropped. Ranma's did too, once he realized the implication for himself. "I ain't wearing no girl's swimsuit!" he declared hotly.

Akane faced him with her hands on her hips, still struggling with the idea that she would have a boy's body while in the water, and would need a suit appropriate thereto. "And just _what_," she hissed, "are you _planning_ to wear in the water? When you'll look just like me?"

"Uh, uh," Ranma took a step back from her hot gaze, realizing that he'd better not suggest wearing only shorts and going topless. Even if there'd only be the three of them present. "Shorts and a t-shirt?"

"You are not going to put on a show, looking like me, wearing a wet t-shirt," Akane told him flatly.

"But ..."

"What's the matter?" Akane asked. "Are you too _chicken_ to wear a proper swimsuit?"

Which effectively ended the argument, as Ranma wasn't about to let her think he was chicken when it came to anything. Thus it came to pass that Ranma, much to his chagrin, once again went clothes shopping with Kasumi. Akane stayed at home, as Kasumi insisted that she was still grounded. Ranma couldn't help but feel that he was the one suffering the worse punishment, since he not only had to go shopping, but he had to try on swimsuits for both Akane and himself, in appropriate genders. Worst of all was the fact that the girl's swimsuits he was trying on were intended to be worn by himself rather than Akane.

To top it off, Kasumi wouldn't even let him indulge his sense of humor. He wanted to buy a tiny little speedo for Akane to wear in her male form and, after she finished ranting and raving, he'd hand her the more sensible shorts he bought for her to really wear. But Kasumi wouldn't hear of it, despite his grumbling about just wanting to have a little fun.

Which only made him more determined. While Kasumi stopped in front of a store to inspect some fabric which was on sale, Ranma ducked into the toy store next door. He secreted his purchase at the bottom of the bag containing the swimsuits for Akane. On arriving home he carried the bag up the steps, whistling, handed it nonchalantly to Akane at her bedroom door, then turned and strolled back to his own room.

He barely made it before a scream echoed throughout the house. Everyone came running, although Ranma exerted himself to slowness so as to arrive at the back of the group. The entire family stared at Akane's red face and heaving chest, then turned their eyes to the wads of cotton and scraps of black cloth scattered across the floor. Nabiki finally asked the question on all of their minds, "And this was what?"

Akane looked down at the evidence of the tantrum she threw moments ago, then looked up, scanning the faces. Spotting Ranma at the back, her expression grew thunderous. "It was a stuffed animal," she snarled. "A little black piglet. _Die_, Ranma!" She leaped at him, forcing everyone else to duck to the sides out of her way.

Of course, Ranma had been expecting this and ran for it. He led her a merry chase down the stairs, outside, around the house and dojo several times, along the top of the wall, and finally ended with a sparring match atop the stones lining the edges of the koi pond. In the end, a midair collision dropped them both into the pond with a huge splash.

A wet and bedraggled male Akane sat in the water, glaring at an equally sopping female Ranma sitting beside her. "Just you wait, Ranma Saotome," Akane told him menacingly. "I _will_ have my revenge!"

His only reply was a cocky smirk, which eventually brought an answering smile to her own lips.

* * *

Far to the west, beyond the land's borders out on the open ocean, Shampoo stood at the railing of the ship, watching the Japanese mainland disappear over the horizon behind her. What a crazy adventure it had been! So very different from the well regulated life back home. So strange to think that her quest had all been due to a misunderstanding.

At the same time the Amazon teenager couldn't help but think that she had forgotten something. As a matter of fact, she knew that quite likely she had forgotten some things, seeing that she'd been subjected to the memory erasing shampoo, even if it had been a botched, amateur job. She could only hope that no truly important memories had been lost. Once again she vowed to get her hands on the restoring shampoo as soon as possible.

Except, could she use it on herself? She hadn't stopped to consider the problem with that when she had intended to do so back in Japan. Back before that idiot boy had destroyed the shampoo. Simply washing her hair with the stuff would restore some memories, but if she wanted to regain everything completely, then the proper pressure points would need to be stimulated while it was used.

Shampoo sighed. Trying to do that on her own head would be very difficult. Much though she hated the thought, it would be best to wait until she was back home. Then she could have it done by someone who knew how to do it properly. It was a pity, but at the same time it wasn't like she'd have to wait forever. Shampoo planned to take the train most of the way across country, so she ought to be back home in a week.

She turned away from the railing, happy to be returning home. Even if home was just a little dull compared to her recent adventure. As she walked along the deck, Shampoo wondered idly why she kept fantasizing about kissing someone in the rain.

* * *

**Author's note:**

With this chapter, _Side by Side_ becomes my third story to achieve a word count beyond the hundred thousand mark, in addition to _The Silent Horse_ and _Fighting Chance_.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	11. First Training Trip

**Side by Side  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Sequel to _Togetherness_. Alternate universe story in which Ranma and Akane are cursed to change into duplicates of one another.

* * *

**Chapter 11. First Training Trip**

Nearing the school gate the next morning, Yuka and Sayuri saw their friends Akane and Ranma approaching from the cross street. The pair were moving at a rapid pace, as usual, along the top of the fence which lined the road, a mode of transportation by now so commonplace that no one even bothered to remark on it these days. As everyone had come to expect, the reluctantly engaged couple were also wearing matching outfits, on this occasion bright blue shirts with the familiar black pants. Akane and Ranma leaped down from the fence together, landing at the same instant on the sidewalk in front of the two girls.

"Hi Akane!" the two friends called out, smiling at the male of the two before greeting the female with a more restrained, "Hello, Ranma-kun."

The girl in front of them responded with a bright smile, slowing to match their pace, while the boy merely waved and continued on into the schoolyard.

"Hi, guys!" the girl who looked like Akane said. "Nice morning, huh?"

Yuka, keeping her voice low and shooting a sad look at the blue shirt disappearing into the school, said, "Really staying in character, aren't you Ranma? No one's close enough to overhear. Um, why'd Akane run off?"

The girl she had addressed giggled. "Sorry. I _am_ Akane. By some miracle, we didn't get splashed on the way to school this morning. Weird, huh?"

Both Yuka and Sayuri vented frustrated sighs. Shaking her head in exasperation, Sayuri said, "You know, it would be nice if the two of you would adopt some secret sign that would let your friends know who is who. Like a little mark on the shoulder of your shirts or something."

Akane just smiled and lifted her bangs to point at the scar half-hidden there.

"Oh, yeah," Sayuri said, embarrassed. "I forgot." She reminded herself for what seemed the hundredth time to look for that mark when she ran into her friend.

Akane's smile grew a little wider. "If you keep forgetting that, would you remember to look for any other 'secret sign'?"

Sayuri shrugged. Yuka, impatient with irrelevancies, cut to the real issue when she anxiously asked, "But what about that Chinese girl who's trying to kill you? Aren't you running the risk that she'll attack you?"

Akane shifted instantly from amused to chagrined. "Oops. Um, sorry, I, uh, guess I ... forgot to tell you. She's gone. Went back to China."

Yuka looked at her askance. "And you didn't _tell_ us? I've been worried sick. Was it too much trouble to pick up the telephone?"

Sayuri turned to her other friend. "When did you start channeling my mother?" Yuka stuck out her tongue. Sayuri smirked. "I wouldn't want something that dirty in my mouth either," she said snarkily. On turning back to Akane, she observed that the girl's face had grown rosy, causing the other two to wonder what she was embarrassed about.

Sayuri's eyebrows rose in speculation as the blush continued to deepen, and she glanced at Yuka to see that she had also noticed as Akane began to dig a toe into the sidewalk. "It was kind of a, uh, _busy_ weekend," Akane admitted sheepishly. "I've been sort of distracted."

"Okayyy," Sayuri drawled. "And I bet you're about to tell us it's a long story, aren't you? And there's no time to go into it now, hmmm? Right? Fine. But don't think you're getting out of explaining just because school's about to start. How about you and Yuka come over to my house this afternoon? Then you can take as long as you want and tell us everything."

"I can't," Akane responded reluctantly. "I'm um, uh ..." Red faced, she lowered her voice to a whisper. "... grounded."

Her friends stared, then slowly turned to look at each other. Matching grins grew on their faces before they slowly turned their regard back on Akane. Yuka said slowly, "You? You honestly did something bad enough to get grounded? I mean, the words 'Akane Tendo' and 'naughty' just don't _mix_. Now you've _got_ to tell us what happened!"

Akane sighed. "Okay. Over lunch. Someplace we can talk in private." She looked up at the clock on the tower. "Right now, though, we'd better hurry. Or we're _all_ going to be in trouble."

The three of them ran for the school, with Akane holding herself back to the other girls' speed.

* * *

The lunch bell rang, and the three girls left the classroom together. "Where do you want to go?" Yuka asked. "The roof?"

"On a summer day?" Sayuri inquired in astonishment. "Or, well, I suppose it's technically a spring day. For another three days. But the point is, we're not going to find any privacy up there, not as nice as today is."

"Where would you suggest?" Yuka wanted to know.

"How about the tennis courts down the street?" Sayuri offered. "There's no reason anyone from school would be there. If somebody older is there, playing tennis, they won't have any reason to come near the bench where we're sitting, and we can pretend we're watching the game."

Akane shrugged. "Why not? Like you say, no one from school is likely to interrupt. That's all I want."

The trio quickly made their way to the school gate and down the street, conscious that they would have to be back by the end of lunch period. They had almost reached their destination when Yuka stopped and pointed. "Isn't that your pet?" she asked in surprise.

Akane swung around, her eyes blazing at the sight of Ryoga standing there in his cursed form. The little pig's eyes were very wide, shock clear on his features, as he shrank back from her rage. With a high pitched, worried grunt, he spun and fled as quickly as his hooves would carry him.

"You'd better run!" Akane yelled after him.

"What's wrong with you?" Yuka gasped out. "He's your pet! A little, defenseless pig!"

Akane snarled. She turned the corner and stomped onto the tennis court. Dropping heavily onto the bench, she placed her bento on her knees and then just sat there, breathing heavily. Her friends walked over carefully, eyeing her curiously, wondering what was wrong. They nervously sat on either side of Akane, trying to think what to say.

Akane gave a heavy sigh and shook herself all over. "Sorry. I'm still angry ... I found out Saturday ... that pig, he's Ryoga Hibiki."

"Huh?" Sayuri asked intelligently. Yuka merely wondered if her friend had lost it.

"Ryoga Hibiki," Akane clarified, bitterness dripping like toxic sludge from her words. "The jerk who attacked Ranma a few weeks back. He has a curse like Ranma and me. He turns into a pig."

"Ryoga has a curse?" Yuka asked, trying to make sure she understood. "A curse like yours? You mean, all this time he's had this curse, and he's been pretending to be your pet?" Her voice expressed horrified disbelief.

"Yeah." Akane leaned back, looking up at the sky, ignoring her lunch. "I found out Saturday morning. Gave him a real piece of my mind." She sighed again.

Sayuri was shaking her head. "You live a really strange life, you know that?"

Akane gave a weak chuckle. "Seems that way, doesn't it?" She sat back up and slowly started digging into her lunch. "I might as well tell you the rest of it. Uhm ... okay. Shampoo found out about Ranma's curse Saturday morning ..."

"Before or after you found out about Hibiki?" Yuka wanted to know.

Akane blinked. "Uh ... before." She shook her head. "Does it matter? Are you going to let me tell this or aren't you?" Akane demanded irritably.

"Shut up, Yuka," Sayuri said gently. "Go on, Akane."

"Thanks. Uh ... anyway, Shampoo just up and left. Apparently, because Ranma was a boy, she didn't have to kill him, so boom, she's gone. Once she left, I went out for a jog, ran into Hibiki, and found out about his curse. After that, I was really depressed ..."

"Because he lied to you," Sayuri said sympathetically.

"No! Well, yes. But I was more angry than depressed because of that pig Hibiki. No, what was really upsetting was that Ranma knew about Hibiki's curse. He knew, and he didn't tell me. At least, I thought he hadn't."

"Jerks," Sayuri commented, voicing her opinion of both with one word. After reviewing Akane's statement for another moment she grew puzzled and said, "Wait. What do you mean you 'thought' he hadn't told you?"

Akane laughed again with bitter self deprecation. "Ranma wrote me a note telling me all about it, back when I first found the pig. The baka's story is he couldn't do the sensible thing and just tell me because he promised Hibiki he wouldn't tell anyone about the curse. So yeah, he gave me this note. But I ... I sort of went and, uh, lost it. Never read it. Not until yesterday, anyway."

Yuka, wonder in her voice, said, "And he never said anything else about it to you, in all this time?"

"Go figure," Akane replied, sighing. "Between us, we made a really huge mess of things. _Aaanyway_ ... like I said, I was already really depressed because of all that, and _then_ there was this little kid I saved but my curse hit and his mother saw and ... she treated me like a, like a _freak_, and, you know, I was just really, really upset ..." Her voice trailed off gloomily.

Sayuri and Yuka exchanged a look then turned to Akane, each of them wearing equally impatient expressions. "We saw how red you turned earlier," Sayuri said dryly. "We know there's got to be more to the story than that."

Akane nodded in embarrassment. "I, uh, look, don't repeat this to anyone, please, but I, uh ..." She squirmed on the seat. "I was really upset. And I, um, had some ... beer."

"That's it?" Yuka asked, exasperated. "You drank some beer? That's nothing!"

"Well, um, maybe a bit more than ... some beer," Akane replied, studying her feet. "Quite a lot of beer. Actually."

Sayuri's other eyebrow lifted, and a grin slowly spread on her lips. "Are you telling us that you got _drunk_?"

Akane nodded her head in a small spasm, saying nothing.

"Oh, Akane," Yuka murmured in mingled sympathy and reproof. Then spoiled it by allowing a laugh to slip past her lips.

"It's not funny!" Akane complained. "When I woke up that night, I wanted to die!"

"So that's why you're grounded?" Sayuri asked, to which Akane nodded again. "Nothing else? You didn't do anything stupid while you were, you know, out of it?"

"Nothing I want to remember. Or talk about," Akane admitted. "Nothing particularly bad, anyway. Mostly I just tried to beat up on Ranma. You know, for not telling me about the pig. I don't remember it too well. Which is all for the best, I suppose, since I gather my fighting technique consisted of stumbling around like a, well, like a drunken idiot."

Yuka gave her friend a pointed look. "And you were so embarrassed about it all, that you didn't think to get in touch with us? To let us know the crisis was over? That you were safe? Is that what you're saying?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Akane answered. "Sorry. Sunday morning started with a talk with Kasumi about my, uh, behavior. Ranma and I finally got the mess straightened out about knowing about Hibiki's curse, and I apologized to him, more or less. _Then_ he announced that he's taking me on a training trip Thursday, and there was a family argument over that, which ended with Kasumi deciding to go with us. And the way Ranma's talking, he's planning to put me through hell on that trip. So, uh, yeah, sorry. I've been sort of distracted."

"We have school Thursday," Yuka pointed out, needlessly. "Friday too."

"Hence the disagreement," Akane agreed. "Or part of it. But Ranma argued that I need to train this hard, in case someone else like that Chinese girl Shampoo shows up." She shrugged. "I'm a martial artist. This is part of what my life's about, it's what I want. Even if the way he's talking about it worries me just a little."

"I always said you martial artists were nuts," Sayuri mumbled, circling one finger around her ear for emphasis. Yuka gasped and reached across Akane, grabbing Sayuri's hand, turning it to stare at her watch.

"Is that the time?" she exclaimed. "We'd better get a move on or we'll be late."

Akane just shrugged, concentrating on wolfing down the rest of her lunch. She thought about the pending trip, trying to imagine what sort of training Ranma would come up with to put her through. It was still hard to believe that it could possibly be harder than what she was going through here at home.

* * *

Ryoga had long since slowed back down to a walk, realizing that Akane had not given chase. Part of him berated himself for being so quick to run. After all, he strongly suspected that she wouldn't _really_ maim him, even if she did manage to catch him. But then again, sometimes it _was_ better to be safe than sorry.

The little pig grunted happily as he saw the towering edifice of a public bathhouse appear before him. He ran inside, past the attendant who gave a startled cry on seeing a pig run into his bathhouse. Zipping past the faucets and surprised men on the stools, he jumped and landed in the hot water, sitting up with a pleased grin.

The attendant slid to a halt, looking around in confusion. "Did you see a ... a ... pig?"

Ryoga shook his head. The man continued to poke around for a few minutes, but finally gave up in bewilderment. Ryoga leaned back and relaxed in the hot water.

It was the first time the boy had been human since Saturday morning, when Akane had transformed him after telling him off. For most of those two days he had been too miserable to bother looking for hot water, content to remain in his cursed form and feel as if all the despair in the world was his lot to suffer. It seemed, however, that he might be recovering, given that he finally cared enough to become human once more. He wondered if seeing Akane again had somehow helped.

Assuming it _was_ Akane. Worried doubt swept through him, recollecting Ranma's curse. But then he remembered the girl's furious anger, and decided it probably had been Akane after all.

Was it possible that if he apologized, if he tried to explain what his life was like, that Akane might forgive him? Maybe ... not. Considering the things she had said to him. She'd certainly need more time to calm down. He shuddered with nausea, remembering how she had described kissing Ranma.

It just wasn't fair! Why should Ranma get all the breaks, while he got all the, the, bad luck? There was no way that Ranma deserved someone like Akane. She belonged with someone better, someone like himself. After all, they were both cursed ...

At that point, Ryoga's thoughts ground to a halt. He tried to picture himself dating someone who turned into an exact duplicate of Ranma Saotome. He let himself slide under the water, trying to force the image out of his mind, but it didn't help. Once thought, it could not be unthought. To Ryoga's horror, he found himself imagining Akane in her cursed form, Ranma's twin, trying to kiss him. He began hitting himself over the head with his fists, whimpering at his inability to drive the image away.

He couldn't handle this. He had to get away! At least for a while. Besides, that would give Akane some time to get over this ... little misunderstanding. But how? With his sense of direction, if he tried to get out of Tokyo, he'd probably just end up at the Tendo house.

Well, what if he did? He wouldn't have to stop there. He could just keep walking. Yes. Just keep walking and walking, and occasionally stop a passerby and ask where he was - and the moment someone said he was someplace other than Tokyo, just stop. Set up his tent and camp right there on that spot, until he thought enough time had passed. It would mean delaying his revenge against Ranma, but he decided that such a delay was a necessary evil, and promised himself that vengeance would still be his in the end.

Of course, first he would need his pack and clothes, but that didn't worry him unduly. Climbing out of the tub, Ryoga "borrowed" a yukata, then waited for an opportune moment and slipped past the attendant. Walking down the street, ignoring the stares of the people all around, Ryoga concentrated on his pack. He never understood how this worked, but he was always able to find his way back to his possessions when he needed them. Opening his eyes several minutes later, Ryoga gave a grin to see the bulging backpack shoved behind a garbage can right in front of him.

Ducking behind a wall, Ryoga emerged a few minutes later fully dressed with the pack on his back. Whistling almost cheerfully, he set about getting himself lost. A few minutes later he found himself in the Tendo yard, smacked himself in the forehead, then jumped back over the wall.

Kasumi Tendo was rather puzzled as to why Ryoga showed up outside her kitchen window three times that day, each time leaving again before she could get outside to ask why he was there.

Through sheer persistence, Ryoga's plan finally paid off. He stopped immediately when a young boy told him he was in Kyoto. For some days thereafter, the children stared with open curiosity at the young man sitting by the tent on the back lawn of their elementary school. But whenever they asked him, "Why are you camping here?" his only answer was, "Someone told me this would be a nice place to stay for a while."

* * *

The bed in Kasumi's room was covered with clothing. A backpack sagged beside the bed, half filled. Akane and Kasumi stood looking over the confusion, feeling faintly frustrated as they tried to figure out how to fit everything into the one pack, when a voice from behind startled them.

"Ain't you finished packing yet?"

The two girls turned to see Ranma leaning against the doorframe. His eyebrows were raised, the very picture of masculine bewilderment over what could be taking them so long. He stood up and strode further into the room.

"For your information, I'm finished," Akane told him loftily. "Kasumi and I decided to work together on the packing. We did my stuff first. We're almost done with hers. So if you're worried we'll get a late start tomorrow, don't."

"Mmm," he hummed noncommittally, frowning over the things lying on the bed, presumably waiting their turn to be put in with the rest. "Are you really planning to take that to wear?"

Kasumi and Akane both turned and looked over the clothes again. Neither saw anything wrong. "Is there a problem, Ranma?" Kasumi wanted to know. "They look fine to me. They seem suitable for hiking around in. You make it sound like I'm packing dresses or something."

"Oh, it's not that," the boy reassured her. "It's just, well, tomorrow may be the first day of summer, but we're gonna be pretty high in the mountains. Not all the way up in the snowpack, but not so far from it. You'll likely be pretty chilly in that stuff."

Akane was gazing at him in consternation, while Kasumi turned a similar look on her clothing and what had already been placed in her pack. The younger sister acidly inquired, "You couldn't have thought to mention this before? I'll have to completely repack, baka!"

Ranma shrugged, unrepentant. "Didn't occur to me. I figured you'd know when I told you where we were going. I didn't stop to think how you were raised. Or how you weren't raised."

"Yeah, but ..."

"Akane." Kasumi reined her sister in with her name, softly spoken. "I'm sure Ranma didn't do it on purpose. We'll need to pull out some of the clothes which have already been put away in boxes for the summer."

Akane sighed. "I know." She turned her regard on Ranma, not angry but a wee bit exasperated. "Anything else you ought to have shared with us, that we city girls wouldn't think of on our own?"

Ranma blinked, then his brow wrinkled as he tried to consciously think about things which had practically become second nature. He began muttering, "Plenty of first aid supplies, but I got those. Sturdy, comfortable, good-fitting shoes for hiking, but I'm sure they thought of that. Towels. Gi. Flashlights. Er, uh, tissue. Jackets ..." He kept going, but it was clear he was mostly talking to himself, and it became hard to make out the words.

Finally he stopped with a put-upon sigh. "I don't think it'll work just to try to tell you what to take. I guess I'd better stick around while both of you re-pack. If I see what you're putting in, I'm pretty sure I'll notice if it's anything silly, or if you don't have something you'll need." He frowned, but settled himself back to watch.

Kasumi and Akane both, though more so the latter, eyed him dubiously. They then proceeded to pull everything back out of the pack. When they got down to where the more intimate items had been packed, Akane suddenly realized a problem with his plan, and spun around to yell at Ranma for ogling her sister's underclothes. However, she found the boy already facing the other way, face bright red.

Ranma mumbled something. It might have been, "Those should be fine."

Kasumi looked at him curiously. Then she turned back and, hiding a tiny smile, slipped the offending garments back into her pack where they would not further embarrass the young man.

Once everything else was unpacked, Kasumi left Akane and Ranma to sort through the remaining items on the bed while she went in search of warmer clothing. By the time they finished, it was rather later than originally planned, and they had to do it all over again with Akane's stuff. Nonetheless, eventually the job was done, and they were able to seek their separate beds in time to get a good night's sleep before their early start the next morning.

* * *

"So did they get away all right?" Nabiki asked blearily over her microwaved breakfast and instant coffee. Much though she might care about her sisters' well being, she had never had any intention of seeing them off. It would have taken something much more serious than saying good-bye before a four day trip to force her from her bed almost two hours early.

"Yes," her father answered simply. He gave his old companion a look of disgust, adding with significant emphasis, "although I was the only one up when they left." It was grossly unfair, in Soun's opinion, that not only had he been the only one to arise early enough to see their children off, but with Kasumi gone he'd been forced to get his own breakfast. Worst of all, his morning paper had not yet arrived.

Soun's disapproving glare affected the panda bear not at all. Annoyed by the lack of response, Soun returned his attention to his lone daughter present. "All three seemed fine. Akane even looked a little excited, despite the early hour."

Nabiki appraised her father consideringly. "You must have done this sort of thing, too, back when you were younger. So you must have some idea of what Akane's in for, right? She's going to be okay, isn't she? I mean, she is ready for this? Right?"

Soun wished once more that the newspaper wasn't late arriving this morning. Nabiki's question made him distinctly uncomfortable, and he wanted nothing more than to hide behind his paper as was his usual practice at the first meal of the day. His mustache twitched as he slowly took a sip of tea, then returned the cup to the table, while thinking over how to respond.

"One is never really ready when one's sensei chooses to introduce some new form of training," he said at last. "And the more different from what one has experienced before, the harder and more painful it is likely to be. I expect there will be some considerable risks ..."

Soun held up a finger to stop Nabiki before she could launch into a tirade. "If Akane is to be the martial artist she wishes to be, then this is necessary. The worthwhile lessons require risk and hardship. We must hope that she can ..." He swallowed, betraying his own nervousness. "... that she can handle whatever Ranma comes up with."

Despite the fine words, he swore a silent, private vow that if Ranma came up with something that truly hurt his little girl, that he would make the young man regret it. He fought to hold back tears at the images which presented themselves to his mind, nightmares inspired by his own past training.

Genma held up a sign reading, "A martial artist's life is fraught with peril."

Nabiki scowled at him. "Can't you at least come up with a _new_ platitude once in a while?"

The sign flipped around. "Aren't you late for school?"

The girl consulted her wristwatch. "No. But I do need to be going." She rose from the table, carrying her dishes into the kitchen. A few minutes later she walked out the door and left.

Genma, having finished his own meal, strolled down the hall to the furoba. He returned a short time later, damp, cheerful, and human. He slapped his old friend on the back, saying, "Well. Ready to make plans to get our two children together? I can be packed in less than an hour."

Soun nodded. "It'll take me a little longer. Especially as it's been some time since I last did this. Why don't you come along and keep an eye on me? We can talk at the same time. Then you can grab your things, and we can follow after them."

Genma signaled his agreement, and they went down the hall to the taller man's bedroom. While watching his host start pulling out clothes, Ranma's father said, "You're not going to turn all 'my little princess' on me, right? You agreed that the easiest way to make them go along with getting married right away is if my son has sex with your daughter. She's old enough, they'll certainly be doing it once they're married, and it's just a bit necessary for producing an heir."

Soun gave his friend a pained look, and sighed. "I already agreed," he responded in a quiet, determined tone. "But you needn't speak so crudely about it."

Genma grinned. "Aw, c'mon. Don't get all prudish. Victory will be ours as soon as ..." He inserted the index finger of one hand between the circled thumb and index finger of the other.

A moment later Genma pulled himself out of the wreckage of the bedroom wall, rubbing his jaw. "You still pack a hell of a punch, Tendo."

"There's more where that came from," Soun growled, eyebrows lowered.

Genma held up his hands placatingly. "Okay, okay. I won't trouble your dainty paternal feelings. As long as we're agreed on the goal."

Soun glared for a few seconds longer before he relaxed and nodded. "Any thoughts on how to do this?"

Genma considered, then smiled. "There's always the old 'leave 'em with one tent' trick. We sneak into camp, steal the girl's tent, she's forced to share the boy's tent, nature takes its course ..."

"With my daughter Kasumi lying beside, or more likely between, them?" Soun's eyebrows were arching almost to his hairline.

Genma froze, mouth open and finger raised as if to make a point which never arrived. After a few moments he shook himself, lowering the hand to scratch at his chin. "Damn. Forgot about her. That's a complication." He was silent for several more minutes, as Soun stuffed a razor and other toiletries in a small bag. After a while, Ranma's father lifted the finger again and said, "Okay, how about ..."

The two men continued talking for some time, discussing plans, while they packed. They left for the train station before noon arrived. A note on the kitchen table explained that they had been called away, and that Nabiki had the house to herself for the next few days.

* * *

"How you holding up, Kasumi?" Ranma asked cheerfully as they hiked along the path winding up the mountainside.

"I'm doing fine, Ranma-kun. But ..." She cast a worried glance in her sister's direction.

Akane labored along beneath the weight of both girls' packs, her features determined. When Ranma had first told her that she'd be carrying Kasumi's pack as well to make the rigorous hike easier for her older sister, Akane had accepted the command cheerfully, striding forth with a will. However, by the time they were halfway up the mountain the extra weight was making itself known.

"Don't worry. She'll manage," Ranma told the older girl, pitching his voice so that Akane would hear as well. "She'll feel ready to drop by the time we make camp, but she'll get there. Or if she can't, we might as well turn around right now, 'cause there's no way she'd make it through the rest of the weekend."

Akane grimaced, but wasted no breath on a reply. From somewhere she found additional energy to put into her trudging pace.

"Besides," Ranma went on, "it's not like I'm asking her to carry a boulder all the way up the mountain."

A shuddering groan came from Akane. Kasumi squeaked, "A boulder!"

"Yeah," Ranma responded nonchalantly. "The difference is between the long haul and the short haul. If I'd asked her to carry a boulder all the way up, she'd have collapsed a long time ago. It's a question of endurance. The weight of both packs will push her to her limit by the time we get to the top."

He paused, watching Akane out of the corner of his eye. She was fatigued, but holding up well. "During the next few days I'll make her do some running around carrying heavy rocks. Say two, three hundred kilos or so. She can _lift_ that much easy. But she won't be able to carry it nearly this long, not at first. Maybe by the time we leave."

Kasumi's fingers were covering her mouth in mild shock. "And that's what you're going to have Akane doing for the next four days?"

"You kidding?" Ranma laughed. "Naw. I'm gonna have her doing a _lot_ more than that! That's just ... building up strength, and endurance. Forcing her to learn to tap energy reserves she ain't ever had to dig into before. I got a bunch of other stuff planned."

A tiny corner of Akane's mind whispered pleadingly to turn around and go home. She ground that voice ruthlessly underfoot and continued plodding onward.

Kasumi looked over toward her sister again. "We really shouldn't be speaking of Akane as if she isn't here, you know. It isn't polite."

Ranma rubbed a hand along the back of his head self-consciously, emitting a weak chuckle. "Eh. Truth is, I _am_ talking to her. It's just easier for me if I, you know, warn her what's coming like this. As if I'm telling you, and she's just overhearing. Besides ..." He chuckled. "I suspect she'd rather save her breath for walking."

"Don't mind me. I'm just the pack mule," Akane managed to grunt.

"Is this really the way your father trained you?" Kasumi asked with a touch of awe.

Ranma's face scrunched up. "Sorta. Not exactly. He was a lot more of a hard ass about it. _He'd_ of had me hauling a boulder up the mountain from the start. In fact he did, once. And when I collapsed about, oh, a quarter of the way up, he just went on ahead. With all the supplies, including the food. Told me to catch up when I could, and that I'd better be carrying that boulder when I did."

He saw that both sisters were staring at him in horror, and shrugged his shoulders. "It worked. After a fashion. But I figure my way'll get the same results in the end. Probably almost as quick, too."

By the time they came over a crest of rock to see the small lake stretching in front of them, both girls had taken instruction from Ranma on how to breathe properly at this height. The word "lake" was perhaps a misnomer, as it was not much more than forty meters long and twenty wide, appearing to fill most of a small pocket on the mountainside. In fact there were only about three meters of bank between their feet and the water's edge. They could see a small cascade at the farther end where the water drained out and followed a path down in a different direction from the one they had taken up.

Looking across the water, numerous rivulets of water were visible streaming down the mountain and entering the pool's surface at the centers of ever-expanding rings of ripples. Following the rivulets upward they could see, through a haze of clouds, a snow-capped mountain peak close enough that one could almost imagine being able to reach out and touch it.

Ranma led his companions around the near end to a wider, nearly flat area where he dropped his pack. "This is where we'll set up the tents," he told them. "Latrine down there," pointing down and away from the lake. "Plenty of firewood to heat the water for cooking and washing. Unless you'd rather bathe in the ice water direct." He gave Akane a sly grin.

She shuddered. "No thanks." A thought occurred to her. "Uh, how are we going to manage privacy for bathing."

Ranma chuckled. "Afraid we don't have any doors here to close. I'll take a long walk when you two wanna bathe."

Akane didn't look happy at the prospect. But neither did she see that there was any other choice. "_Very_ long walks," she emphasized. She sat down on her own pack, feeling almost as weary as she had back in the days gone by, well, fairly recently actually, when Ranma had begun her real training.

Ranma glanced at the sun. "We got half the afternoon left. After we set up camp, we'll get down to the real training. Time for plenty today, and we'll be up at dawn again tomorrow. So off your keister, 'Kane, and start setting up your and Kasumi's tent."

Akane gave a long groan but climbed back to her feet. She began pulling the tent and associated materials free.

"What should I do, Ranma?" Kasumi asked.

"You know how to set up a fire pit?" he asked. At her nod, he pointed. "Great. There's a little depression in the rock, over there, near the water's edge. After that gather up some of the smaller loose wood for the fire. Akane, after you get that tent up, take the hatchet and chop up larger logs from some of the deadfall. I'll take care of the latrine myself, after I get my own tent up."

Under Ranma's direction it didn't take long to get the camp in order. At Ranma's request Akane entered her tent to change into her gi, while he donned his as well, then the two of them went off. Kasumi heard Akane's fading voice attempting in vain to get Ranma to say what he had in mind. Kasumi busied herself getting the fire started and put a pot of water over it to heat, figuring that it wouldn't be long before one or the other of the two would need it to reverse their curses.

Ranma returned some hours later without Akane, but before Kasumi could ask, he said, "Akane'll be along shortly. She's got a bit of a limp, and's pretty banged up besides. Try not to overreact. She looks worse than she is. If you look at each bit at a time, instead of all at once, you'll see there ain't nothing that won't heal pretty quick."

By this time Kasumi was looking at him quite dubiously, as he walked over to the fire and ladled a bowl of stew out of the pot. Sitting on a convenient rock, he slurped it down with pleasure. Kasumi stood, looking back the way he had come for any sign of her little sister.

Akane trudged into sight about ten minutes later. She was favoring one leg. As she drew closer several bruises became visible on her arms, as well as one on her left cheek. There were some abrasions accompanied by dried blood, and the skin appeared to be torn in several places on her hands. Her left forearm had several parallel stripes where something had scratched her deeply.

Swallowing hard, struggling to keep Ranma's words in mind, Kasumi quickly spooned a large helping of the stew into another bowl and held it out for her sister. Akane stumbled past without taking apparent notice. She reached the boundary of the lake and walked right in. One step from the shore she lowered herself to her neck.

Her face came back to life as the transformation took her. She let out a loud yelp and jumped out of the water, wrapping her arms around herself tightly. "Cold! Cold! Cold!" came her baritone shriek.

Kasumi dumped the pot of hot water over Akane's head, bringing forth another shriek, but this one followed by an "Ah!" of something like relief. Rushing to her tent, the older girl returned immediately with a towel and started scrubbing at her sister vigorously.

Akane thanked Kasumi with a smile before vanishing into their tent. She emerged a few minutes later in dry clothing, then wearily dragged herself closer to the fire and finally accepted the bowl of stew Kasumi once again held out to her. She practically poured it down her throat, then held the empty bowl out for seconds.

"Dare I ask what the two of you were doing?" the older girl inquired.

Akane sighed, then forced her mouth into something like a grin. "The baka here had me build my own combination obstacle course and training ground. The first hour or so was spent hauling around boulders and great big tree trunks and God knows what else, and positioning them just so. You know those cartoons where the wife has the husband moving the furniture around and around and around until the room is just perfect? Well, that's how Ranma is with a training ground."

From off to the side Ranma snorted.

"After I got it set up to his satisfaction, he had me run the obstacle course a few times. That's when I got this." She held up her arm, displaying the scratches. "Took a tumble, rolled down the hill a ways, and landed in some briars. There's more scratches where you can't see them, on my side and leg. Then we sparred for a while. Rules were we had to stay on the things I'd set up. Except he kept knocking me off."

Akane cocked her head to the side, considering. "To tell the truth ... it was kind of fun." She smiled. "Mind you, I'm ready to go to bed right now. And sleep through till noon."

Ranma gave another snort.

Akane looked at the boy disdainfully and replied, "Yes, sensei. I know that's a pipe dream. Can I at least finish eating?"

"I suppose," he said sweetly. "But hurry up."

A few minutes later she put down her bowl, and Ranma immediately signaled her to follow. He led her around the lake and about a quarter mile beyond, where Akane found herself looking down a cliff.

"So what're we doing now?" she asked.

"You remember how to land when you jump off a roof, right?"

Akane looked down again in sudden concern. "That was only about eight meters! This must be ... fifteen?!"

Ranma joined her in looking down. "Closer to twenty."

Akane controlled a shiver. "Whatever! It's too high!"

Ranma shook his head. "Stop worrying so much about how far it is. That's not the problem. Not as long as you remember what I taught you. Nope, the problem is how rough the ground is down there, with loose rock as well. Footing's gonna be treacherous. If you don't keep your feet, you're gonna get hurt."

She turned to regard him nervously. "You're not really serious about this, are you?"

He returned the look implacably. "Yep. If you haven't joined me in thirty seconds, I'll come back up and push you off." With that he stepped over the edge and landed lightly on his feet below, without any slippage. As if walking off twenty meter cliffs was something he did every day.

Akane pondered his threat. She realized it wasn't at all difficult to believe he meant it seriously. She licked dry lips while contemplating her fate. Mouthing a silent prayer, she took a long step forward and then she was falling, the air rushing past. A moment later her feet touched down.

They immediately shot out from under her. Before her yelp could even get started Akane was seized in strong arms and held fast. She latched on with a grip of iron, finishing her outcry pointlessly against Ranma's chest, against which she pressed tightly. After a couple of erratic thumps her heartbeat returned to normal, and Akane looked up into Ranma's eyes, so close she could make out the individual bits of color in his blue irises.

"Ready to try again?" he asked with a smile.

"No?" she suggested hopefully.

Ranma laughed. "Too bad." Before Akane could register what he was doing, he bunched his legs and jumped all the way back up to the cliff top. "Try to get all of your momentum going straight into the ground, at whatever angle that is where you put your feet down. This time we'll go together. Ready ..."

"No ..."

"... set ..."

Akane released a tiny whimper, but prepared herself.

"... go." He pulled her off with him.

Akane tried to remember what he had just said, in the instant she had before she met the ground, but she ended up in his arms once more. Which felt nice and safe, but unfortunately that wasn't the point of the lesson. Fifteen tries later she managed to keep her feet under her with only a press of Ranma's fingers against her shoulder. Several more near falls followed, but at last Akane ended a jump by successfully staying upright all on her own, albeit wobbling in an inelegant fashion.

"I think that's enough of this for today," Ranma told her. "The sun's going, and you're not ready to try this in the dark yet."

Akane looked at him in horror. "You - You won't _really_ make me do this in the dark. Will you?"

Ranma just grinned. "Not this trip, no. Later in the summer probably. Let's get back to camp. Time for your first swimming lesson."

"But you just said it's getting dark! And I'm exhausted! I can barely lift my arms and legs, let alone paddle!"

"C'mon." He grabbed Akane around her waist and jumped up the cliff one last time. "You won't have to paddle. We're just gonna work on floating tonight. And it won't matter if it's dark. You don't need to see the water to float. The campfire will be more than enough light."

Akane fought back a whimper. The most dreaded training exercise of the trip was upon her, and she didn't feel at all ready for it. All she really wanted at the moment was to slide into her sleeping bag and stay there until it was time to leave Sunday. But she didn't say any of that, knowing all too well it would be futile. So instead she splashed herself with water to turn male, then went and put on her new swim trunks.

By the time the lesson ended a couple of hours later, Akane was absolutely frozen. Undaunted by the way her tense, and male, body kept sinking, Ranma just forced her to keep trying over and over again until she learned to relax enough to float for several seconds at a time. On climbing out of the water she was so numbed with cold, both physically and mentally, that she poured hot water over herself without a thought for the swim trunks she was wearing. The darkness and a hastily grabbed towel preserved her modesty, while she ran behind the tent to finish drying off. Crawling into the tent, Akane had just enough strength to pull on a pair of pajamas before sliding into her sleeping bag and instantly falling into a deep slumber.

* * *

"Kiiyaaahhh!!" Akane's scream, released on awakening to find herself flying through the air, ended with a gurgle as water closed over her head. Her rear end struck the gravelly bottom. Scrambling in panic, she managed to get her feet underneath herself and her head shot above the waist deep water. The waist deep, _freezing_ water, as her skin hastened to remind her.

She jumped back out upon the shore, shivering uncontrollably. It didn't seem possible that the water could truly be colder than it had been last night - if it was it would have to be frozen. But having just been torn from her cozy sleeping bag, Akane was absolutely convinced that it must be colder. She looked down at her sodden pajamas, clinging to her frostbitten flesh, then back up at the smirking figure who had perpetrated this crime.

"Wh-what-t w-was th-that f-for, y-you b-b-b-bak-k-ka?!"

"Time for your morning sparring session," he replied cheerily. "Let's go." He beckoned with his fingers.

"S-sounds g-good t'me! I'm g-g-gonna k-kill you! J-just as s-soon as I ch-change!"

"Nope!" Ranma declared jauntily, as he leaped forward and launched an easily dodged kick in her direction. "Sparring as you are is the price you pay for letting me sneak up on you!"

Akane dodged the first couple of blows as she got her brain in gear and started fighting back more seriously. Whereupon Ranma stopped taking it so easy on her. Akane shrieked as a kick sent her flying into the lake again.

"Y-you b-b-baka b-b-bastard!"

She forgot all about changing clothes, running out of the water with murder in her eyes. They fought up and down the small camp area, as Kasumi crawled out of the tent and watched them, not quite daring to start breakfast in the middle of all the mayhem. Akane was knocked into the water twice more before she managed a move which dumped them both in the lake.

"Not bad!" Ranma complimented, grinning at Akane out of her own face.

Instead of leaping straight out of the frigid water, which didn't seem to be bothering Ranma at all, Akane contemplated him for several moments. She wanted revenge, but it was futile to get it by trying to smack him around, not when he was ready for a fight. As she pondered revenge, Akane was also reminded that she still hadn't paid him back for that stupid stuffed pig. She desperately wanted something which could wipe the smirk off his face.

Ranma shook his head violently, flinging water out of his hair, the ponytail swinging back and forth with hard snaps. Akane's eyes widened, but she fought to keep any hint of a smile from her lips. She waited for him to stop shaking his head, at which point he turned around to step from the water.

"You really ought to do something about your hair," Akane suggested calmly.

Ranma stopped and turned toward her. "Huh?"

"Your hair," Akane clarified. "With all we were doing yesterday, you've got a lot of dirt and bits of leaves and ... other stuff ... in your hair. It's kind of disgusting, if you want to know the truth." She ran fingers through her own hair. "I think Kasumi brushed mine while I was falling asleep. Or maybe after. Would you like me to brush yours?"

Ranma pictured himself sitting around like a demure girl, letting someone brush his hair. "Ugh. No thanks. I'll just wash it out." Reflecting on the fact that he was currently female, Ranma untied the two pieces of string holding his ponytail, then held them out. "Here, hold these for me, would you?"

With that he dunked his head underwater and began running fingers roughly through his loose hair. Akane, finally allowing the smile to break free, left the water quickly.

It didn't take long for Ranma to finish, whereupon he got out and grabbed a towel, drying himself off. Kasumi held out a pot of heated water, but he waved it away.

"Not yet, thanks. Remember?" He pointed at the back of his head. "Don't wanna lose my hair." Puzzled, he looked around. "Where'd Akane go? Hey! Akane!" We wandered to the edge of camp, gazing back and forth. "Where the hell are you! I wanna change!"

A few minutes later Akane walked back into the camp, with a broad smile stretching from ear to ear. She ignored Ranma, walking straight to her sister, from whom she gratefully took the pot of water and resumed her female form.

"Dammit Akane! Hurry up and gimme back that dragon's whisker! I wanna change back too!"

Akane turned to him, her smile now on the feral side. She tapped her chin. "The dragon's whisker? Oh, oh yes. I'm sorry. I seem to have mislaid it. But don't worry, I'm sure that I'll remember where it is before we leave."

Ranma stared at her, appalled. "Hey! Quit fooling around! I can't change back to a guy without it! I don't wanna go bald, you know!"

"Oh dear, that's right. I'm so sorry. I wish I could help."

"You ... you ... you ..."

Akane said angelically, "I'm afraid my memory hasn't been working very well since I was traumatized. I'm sure you remember the incident. When I opened a shopping bag and found a stuffed pig inside?"

"That ain't fair!" Ranma howled. He spun toward Kasumi. "Make her give it back!"

Kasumi gazed at them thoughtfully. Akane's practical joke was a little out of line, but then Ranma's had been as well. It wasn't like Ranma would be injured by spending a couple of days as a girl. And maybe he'd listen in future when she suggested he refrain from doing that sort of thing.

Another idea occurred to Kasumi, which caused her to drop her eyes at the devious direction of her own thoughts. The entire reason she was out here was to act as chaperon, to be certain that the two teenagers before her were not tempted to any inappropriate conduct. If Ranma could not change back into a boy, the potential for any such temptation would be greatly reduced. Perhaps even eliminated? No, not entirely, she wasn't quite that naive. But she would certainly feel less concerned, particularly when they were away from camp training.

These thoughts had only taken a few seconds. Kasumi looked back up and said, "I'm sorry, Ranma. I have no way to make Akane remember something she's forgotten."

Ranma stared at Kasumi in horror, gritting his teeth at the happy little smile Akane gave her sister. He turned on his heel and stomped off, tracking Akane's recent footsteps through the thin soil and brush, determined to find her hiding spot. He returned half an hour later, still female, and accepted his breakfast from Kasumi without saying a word. He made no move toward the hot water.

Halfway through the meal, Ranma looked up and caught Akane's gaze. There was a definite glint in his eye as he said, "I hope you realize how much harder your training for the next few days just got." He looked back down to his food while Akane swallowed hard.

* * *

"Quiet, Tendo. The lake's just up ahead."

Soun regarded his old friend with little favor. "I seem to recall that you sounded just as certain at each of the last three mountain lakes we approached."

Genma huffed. "It's not like these places come with street addresses, y'know. The boy and I have camped at a lot of places over the years."

The two men slowly made their approach, being careful to move from one bit of brush to another. As their eyes crested the rise, Genma saw with satisfaction two tents standing near the pool. A minute later Kasumi emerged from one of the tents, humming audibly. She put something in a pot sitting on a stand over the fire, then settled herself on a nearby rock and picked up a piece of cloth which had been resting there. As she busied herself with this, it became clear that she was doing some sort of needlework.

"Looks like she's making lunch," Soun whispered. "That means the other two may be back soon. We should wait until they've finished and left again."

Genma nodded, while trying to keep his stomach from growling. The two men crept a good distance away, and hid themselves behind some thick underbrush to be safe. They pulled out some of the trail food they'd brought along and proceeded to gnaw on it.

Before long they heard the voices of the younger offspring return, arguing in a good-natured way. They waited patiently for a time, until quiet returned. After waiting a little longer to be safe, they stealthily made their way forward once more.

They stopped and watched as Kasumi dried some things with a towel. When she was done she carried them into her tent, coming back out again a minute later. She stretched, placing both hands on the small of her back as she arched herself, then looked around happily. Kasumi went into the tent again, and came out carrying a pair of boots. She sat down and exchanged her shoes for the boots. Standing, she walked out of the camp and soon disappeared from sight.

"What an excellent stroke of luck, Saotome!" Soun declared happily. "We don't even have to lure her out of the camp. Come on!"

The two men quickly advanced, keeping a careful eye out for any of their children. They immediately tore into the food, stuffing themselves with anything which was edible despite being uncooked, and destroying as much as they could of everything else. They carefully tore and smashed the containers, dragging the remains and their contents around, and generally making as much of a mess as possible.

When they were done they left quickly, although Genma paused long enough to erase any sign of their footprints. Hoping that their plan would bear the expected fruit, they hiked several miles down the mountain trail to be certain they would avoid detection.

Kasumi returned to the camp an hour later, and immediately cried out in dismay. Then she called loudly "Ranma-kun! Akane!"

A couple of minutes later the other two came tearing into camp, prepared to fight off whatever might be attacking the older girl. Instead they found her looking down sadly at the ruined food stores, and both newcomers gave equally unhappy groans.

"I'm afraid some wild animals got into the food," Kasumi reported sadly. "There's very little left."

Ranma stalked over and looked around, puzzled, seeing no sign of tracks. But there seemed no other explanation. "Yeah. I guess so."

"What are we going to do?" Akane asked. "Does this mean we have to leave already?"

Ranma shook his head. "We don't have to go all the way back home, but we'll need to go back down the mountain to that town we passed through. We can pick up more food there." He paused in thought for a minute. "Problem is, we won't be able to make it all the way back here before dark. I guess we'll have to find a place to stay there for tonight, then come back in the morning. I'm afraid we're gonna lose a lot of training time."

Kasumi looked back and forth between the twin girls, one frustrated and the other sad. Although she'd opposed this trip, they were here, so it would be unfortunate if Akane were forced to waste the opportunity. The arguments about missing school were now irrelevant, as classes would be finished for the week in a little over an hour. Which left only one concern, and Ranma _was_ unable to become a boy for the time being.

Making up her mind, Kasumi took a deep breath and announced, "There's no need for all of us to go. I'm certain that I can follow the trail well enough. You two stay here and do your training. I should be back late tomorrow morning with fresh supplies."

"What? You decided to trust us?" Ranma inquired, one eyebrow raised. Akane glared at him.

Kasumi's lips thinned, and she just looked at him until he squirmed and dropped his eyes. Then she said, "Under the circumstances, it seems that I must. I'm sure that neither of you will give me any cause to feel that my trust is misplaced. Will you?"

Both of the younger teens shook their heads. Ranma added a shrug and said, "Not like anything _could_ happen. Thanks to a certain baka, I'm stuck as a girl."

Akane harrumphed and crossed her arms. Kasumi chose not to respond to Ranma's statement. Instead she just said, "Very well. The sooner I start, the sooner I can make the purchases and find a place to stay. Behave yourselves, and I'll be back as soon as possible tomorrow."

Kasumi walked over to her tent, pulled out her pack, and settled it on her shoulders. She gave Akane a brief hug, then started on her way down the mountain. Within a few minutes she was out of sight.

"Well," Ranma said as he finally turned away from gazing down the trail. "She gave us the chance to go on with your training. We'd best do so. Come on."

He walked off. Akane followed immediately after.

Some time later, the two fathers watched Kasumi walk past without spotting them. Once she was well out of range, they gave each other high fives and started back up the mountain again. Both of them were grinning madly.

* * *

After a hard afternoon of exercise, the two girls were finally heading back to camp. Akane tentatively asked, "Are we really going to eat that squirrel, Ranma?"

He gave a single, small bark of laughter. "Yeah. Don't worry. It's not bad. In fact, you should be grateful. I could be making you eat snake. Or lizards."

"Ugh!" Akane put a hand over her mouth. "If you had, I think I'd have gone hungry until Kasumi gets back."

"You just don't know what hunger is," he said in a somber tone. "But that's not a lesson I'm planning to teach you."

Akane gave another dubious glance at the small prize he'd knocked out of a tree with a stone. "It doesn't seem to have a lot of meat on it."

"You got that right. Unfortunately," Ranma agreed. "It'll be enough to take the edge off, though. Plus, I got a couple of candy bars in my pack. But you gotta eat your protein before I give you dessert."

At that moment Akane stopped in shock, any response dying on her lips. They had just come into sight of their little camp, and there was quite clearly only one tent standing there.

"We've been robbed!" she cried out, running forward.

Ranma followed after her, confused. "But why'd they take only one tent?" he asked of no one in particular. When he reached the tent and saw that both his and Akane's packs were inside, his confusion grew vastly greater. A thief would surely have at least rifled the packs, and far more likely taken them entirely.

Akane was gazing around in bewildered pain at the thought that someone would steal their possessions. Ranma was looking around as well, trying to add things up and achieve a sum which made some kind of sense. All at once it came together for him.

"Pop! I'm gonna kill ya!" he shouted.

Akane turned to look at him first in puzzlement, then in dawning comprehension and anger. "You think your father did this?"

"More likely both our old men," Ranma growled. "It's the only thing that makes sense. No thief would take only one tent and leave everything else. It must've been them that ruined the food earlier, too. I wonder if they were trying to make us all leave, or if they expected Kasumi to go away and leave you and me here."

Akane gave a little gasp. Ranma turned quizzical eyes on her. "What's up?"

"I ... I think I know why he, or, or they, did it," she admitted around a lump in her throat. Akane wanted to believe it was all the fault of Genma Saotome, that her own father hadn't known, hadn't tried to trap her in such a way. But she had trouble convincing herself of it.

"Whatcha think they're up to?" Ranma asked.

Akane squirmed a little. "Don't you remember what your father said? Back when Kasumi was arguing about us coming here? About it being all to the good if we, er, um ..." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "... fooled around?" Her voice, though still shaky, increased in volume. "They're trying to make us share a tent. I think they're hoping, uh, ..."

"But I'm stuck as a girl for now!" Ranma protested.

A corner of Akane's mind reflected that Ranma was still a trifle innocent in some ways, while most of her refused to think about it at all. Instead she pointed out, reasonably, "How are they supposed to know you're stuck?"

Ranma's eyes swept furiously across the slopes below before he shouted again, "You'd better be a good long way away from here! 'Cause if I catch you, I'm gonna murder you!"

"Are you planning to go looking for them?" she asked.

Ranma sighed. "Nah. I don't think pop's stupid enough to hang around, when he's gotta figure we might guess who's responsible. If they did it not long after Kasumi left, then they'd have plenty of time to get back down the mountain and rent a cozy little room for the night. Besides," he snorted softly, "we could spend hours out there looking for 'em and not find them even if they are there. I'd rather not waste the time when likely nothing would come of it."

"But what're we going to do," Akane wanted to know.

Ranma looked upward, noting the clouds sweeping across the darkening sky, thick with promise of a wet night. He shrugged. "What's the problem? So we share the tent. Nothing's gonna happen, right?" The last word carried a strong inflection, and was accompanied by a raised eyebrow.

Akane flushed. "Of course not, baka!"

"Then no problem," Ranma said firmly. "I'll stay on my side of the tent, you'll stay on your side, and we'll both be tired enough we should fall right asleep. I'd offer to let you have the tent to yourself and take my sleeping bag outside, but ..." He looked upward again, drawing her attention to the clouds. "I think we're gonna get some rain tonight. So I'd just as soon be inside the tent. If you don't mind."

Akane took a deep breath, then let out a sigh. "Yeah. Okay. It's your tent, anyway."

He gave her a firm nod. "That's settled, then. Now how about I show you how someone skins and cooks a meal he's caught for himself?"

* * *

"Ranma?" Akane's voice was just loud enough to be heard over the thrum of raindrops striking the tent fabric.

"Hnnn?"

"You asleep yet?"

"Trying to get that way."

Akane smiled in the dark, before her expression turned serious again. "Do you ever wonder why?"

Ranma sighed and rolled over onto his back. "Why what?"

"Why what happened to us. Me ending up inside your head that weird way. I've never heard of anything like that happening to anyone. Then there's our curses. Do you really think there was some kind of Fate involved in it all? Or was it just a bunch of accidents?"

Ranma frowned, resisting the urge to squirm. "Eh. I'd rather think it was accidental. The idea that somebody or something out there has plans for me - that kinda makes me uncomfortable. To put it mildly. But ..." He hesitated a moment before continuing. "I can't really see how it could be coincidence you ended up in my head. Not when our fathers knew each other. Or that they were planning to, um, well ..."

"Make us marry," Akane finished when he didn't go on. "It's not really that hard to say, you know."

Ranma was glad she couldn't see his blush. "Well I ain't planning to let 'em tell me who to marry. I mean, I like you, but, uh ..." He didn't know what to say next, but was nervously aware that his cheeks were on fire.

"I don't plan to let anyone tell me who to marry, either," Akane emphasized. "But, you know, that does bring up a point I've wondered about for a while." She paused, licking dry lips, wondering if she dared go on. There was part of her that wasn't at all sure she wanted to hear what he might say.

However, her curiosity had been troubling her about it for some time. So, gathering her courage, trying to keep her voice steady, she said, "Back during the ice skating match. When that asshole Sanzenin was threatening to kiss me. You said that I was your fiancée. In fact you yelled it. In front of _everyone_! Why? You didn't need to. You could have threatened him just for being a pervert. So, um, why?"

Ranma froze, wishing that she had asked him to go fight a tiger barehanded. He remembered the incident all too well, the emotions roiling within him, his fury at Sanzenin and Ryoga both. He remembered the look Akane had given him when he said it. Not angry. Just confused. He had no idea what to tell her.

After a minute or so Akane quietly asked, "Ranma?"

Having no notion what else to do, Ranma produced a fake snore.

Akane turned onto her side, facing him, lifting herself up on one elbow. "That has to be the most pathetic attempt at pretending to be asleep that I've ever heard."

He snored again, adding a little whistling to his breath.

"Oh for ... are you really that scared of telling me?"

Ranma sat up. "Hey! I ain't scared of nothing!"

"Then tell me!" Akane insisted.

Ranma's eyes narrowed. "Do you _want_ me to say I wanna be engaged?"

"Wha- I didn't say that!" Akane stammered.

Ranma lay back down. After another long pause he gave a heavy sigh. "Okay. Here's the truth. I don't _know_ why I said it. Not really. I know I was really pissed off with Sanzenin. And Ryoga, the way he was hanging around, acting like he had some right to you. And you'll probably get mad, but - I reckon my honor was mixed up in it a little. I mean, here's everyone saying we're supposed to be engaged, but these guys - they act like I'm supposed to ignore what they're doing, even though you're supposed to be my fiancée."

Akane didn't say anything. She did feel some irritation over that last sentiment, him regarding her almost like some sort of possession. But taken all in all, she didn't feel nearly as angry as she might have expected.

Ranma was still talking. "There was probably other stuff going on in my head too. Like, you're, you know, my friend. And they shouldn't have been treating you like they were. And I guess I used you being my fiancée as a reason for telling him off. I dunno. I really dunno."

He stared up at the tent above him. After hesitating for a few seconds, he added, "All I really know is, I ain't ready to be engaged to anyone. We're too young. And I don't got time for flowers, and going on dates, and writing bad poetry, and all that other crap. I'd rather spend time with you on our martial arts. For now, anyway."

"For now?" Akane inquired curiously.

Ranma was truly glad for how dark it was in the tent. "Y'know, seems to me this conversation is kind of one-sided. I think I've done enough talking. Wanna tell me what was going through your head about it all?"

Akane's mouth was suddenly as dry as a desert. What did she think about it all? She had no idea how to respond. No idea what to say. She slowly settled back down, closing her eyes, feeling like a coward for wanting to fall asleep without saying anything more.

After a couple of minutes, she quietly remarked, "I'm not ready to think about getting married to anyone either. And I'd also rather spend time with you on martial arts." She paused for a heartbeat, then prompted by some incomprehensible inner compulsion, she added even more quietly, "For now, anyway."

Silence descended inside the tent. Before long, real snores were coming from both of the occupants.

* * *

Dawn crept inside the tent. The slumberers stirred. Their mutual jostling served to wake each other further. The eyes of both girls snapped open only to find themselves separated by mere centimeters, followed immediately by realization of the fact that their arms were around one another. They both sprang backwards, shrieking.

"Come on!" a voice called from outside. "We'll be too late! I told you we should have started earlier!"

Another voice responded, "I'm the one who had to pull _you_ out of bed!"

With that the zipper of the tent was suddenly yanked down, and the flap pulled open. Two men shoved their heads inside, the bald one proclaiming, "Aha! We caught ..." He stopped, staring, and then his face twisted in disgust. "Why the hell aren't you a boy?! What kind of sick games are you playing with your fiancée?"

"The only sick one here is you, pop," Ranma stated darkly. His expression turned to one of pleasure, after a sort, as he crooned in his female voice, "You got no idea how _happy_ I am to see you. I've been wanting to tear you limb from limb since last night!"

A well placed kick in the middle of the man's face knocked him out of the tent. Ranma jumped after, attacking furiously. Unfortunately his anger was not enough. Genma was, after all, accustomed to sparring with Ranma every day, and gave as good as he got.

Soun, on the other hand, found himself alone with his daughter, eyeing her nervously.

"Father," Akane said sweetly, locking eyes with the man. "I _so_ wanted to believe you had no part in this. You know, for once I'm completely in agreement with Ranma." Her attempt at mock sweetness was ruined when she was unable to prevent herself from snarling as she added, "I wanna tear someone limb from limb, too!"

Soun, needing no further urging, turned and fled for his life. Akane gave chase but found, rather to her surprise, that her father was a faster runner than herself. Unable to catch him, Akane turned her attention to the remaining conspirator.

At that point Genma Saotome learned that, while Akane's skills might yet be a long way from presenting a serious threat to him in one-on-one combat, it was quite a different story when most of his attention had to be given to defending himself from his son. He went flying through the air to land in the middle of the lake. The panda bear decided that under the circumstances discretion might be the better part of valor, and swam hard for the further shore. As Ranma had learned some months ago at Jusenkyo, the panda could run quite quickly when in fear for its life, and the two teenagers soon were forced to give up the pursuit.

"Bastards!" grumbled Ranma. "They didn't even bring the tent back." After a moment's thought he said, "No way all three of us'll fit in mine. I guess I'll sleep outside and let you and Kasumi have it. I just hope it don't rain again tonight."

"That ... doesn't seem fair," Akane suggested half-heartedly. "After all, it is _your_ tent."

Ranma shrugged. "And it was probably my old man's idea to steal yours. Don't worry about it. I've told you before. I've slept outside plenty of times in my life. I'll be okay."

"If you're sure ..." she replied, not trying very hard to talk him out of it. While she might be willing to try sleeping outside of a tent herself, she wouldn't want to make her sister do so, nor would she suggest that Ranma and Kasumi share the tent.

"I said it wasn't a problem. O'course if you wanna show your gratitude ..."

Akane put her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "What?"

"Sheesh!" Ranma muttered disdainfully. "All I was gonna ask was if I could have my dragon's whisker back."

"Oh." Akane shuffled her feet, embarrassed. "Yeah, um, sure. As soon as Kasumi gets back."

Ranma frowned. "Why not now? C'mon, you've had your joke! Give it back." Setting his teeth, he forced himself to say the magic word, although it came out so grudging as to almost oppose its own meaning. "Please?"

Akane grew even more embarrassed. "I can't," she amplified. "I hid it in Kasumi's pack!"

Ranma stared at her, nonplussed. "I thought you hid it out there somewhere?" He waved his arm vaguely.

Akane gave a rueful smile. "That's what I wanted you to think. I was afraid you might go digging through my own pack if you thought it might still be in camp. But I figured you'd never bring yourself to search through Kasumi's stuff."

Ranma looked down and snorted softly. "Yeah. I suppose you're right about that. Damn." He looked back up. "Could you promise never to pull another stunt like this again? Huh?"

Akane looked him in the eye, feeling a little ashamed now of what she'd put him through. "So long as you promise not to pull a trick like that stuffed pig again. Deal?"

"Deal," Ranma confirmed. They gave each other small bows.

"And now," Ranma told her, teeth showing happily, "it's time for training!" Akane suddenly found herself flying through the air, splashing down into the lake seconds later.

She came back up male and spluttering. "Ranma!!"

The fight was on.

* * *

It was Sunday and they were on the train heading back to Tokyo, both of the younger teenagers in their proper genders again. Ranma announced, "We'll need to find a swimming pool somewhere to continue your lessons. Not in Nerima though. I don't wanna take a chance anyone we know is gonna think they see Akane Tendo giving swimming lessons to Ranma Saotome."

Akane stuck out her tongue at him, then settled back. Her face, luckily, was essentially unmarred by everything she'd gone through. Not so the rest of her body. Still, the bruises, scrapes and scratches should all have healed within a couple of days. They had discussed avoiding questions by attending school in reversed genders, as people were less likely to comment on Ranma bearing such marks. In the end, however, Akane decided that people needed to accept that she was a martial artist, and it was right for her to show such signs of her training.

Fishing for a compliment, Akane asked, "Think I'm ready to face someone like Shampoo, if she shows up?"

Ranma shrugged. "Hopefully Shampoo ain't gonna be back. If anyone else shows up, it depends. They might be even better than Shampoo, they might not be as good. As for whether you're ready - you're readier than you were. Personally, I hope we don't have to find out."

Akane sighed, wishing he could have been a little more positive. Still, she had learned a lot, a thought which brought a smile to her face. Summer break was only a month away, and then they could go on another, and even longer, training trip. She found herself looking forward to it far more than she would have expected a week ago.

With that pleasant thought, Akane relaxed her muscles, hoping to take a well deserved nap. She was bone tired after the last four exhausting days. They would be getting back in time for a late supper, then she and Ranma would need to do some of the schoolwork Nabiki should have brought home for them. Then bed and back to school in the morning. She hoped she'd be able to stay awake in her classes.

For some reason, as Akane drifted off to sleep, the words "For now, anyway" whispered through her mind.

* * *

At that moment, in the Qinghai Province in western China ...

"Shampoo! You're back!" Other heads snapped around to look in the same direction as the speaker. With a rush several girls gathered around the weary figure trudging up the road.

"Ni hao!" Shampoo greeted them with a tired smile.

"Did you ... you know?" one of the girls asked, simultaneously eager and hesitant to hear the answer.

Shampoo held up a hand. "I need to report to the elders first."

"Indeed." As if by magic, her great-grandmother Cologne was standing before her. "I was rather disturbed when your reports stopped coming after you caught up with that Ranma girl. I hope you have a good explanation. Come along."

Shampoo followed obediently, suppressing a traitorous wish that she could at least be given time to bathe and take a nap first. The other girls remained behind, watching their friend walk off. It troubled them that they had barely been given the chance to say hello before she was hauled off, and they wondered if perhaps she was in trouble. Then they shook themselves free of such worries and returned to their tasks. After all, Shampoo was the consummate warrior of their generation. It was inconceivable that she would have returned except to report that all was well.

* * *

**Author's note:**

The next thing I plan to post is the seven chapter story _Adamantine Mist_. Therefore, even though the first draft of chapter 12 of _Side by Side_ is already written, it will probably be a few months before it is posted.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	12. The Price of Dishonesty

**Side by Side  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Sequel to _Togetherness_. Alternate universe story in which Ranma and Akane are cursed to change into duplicates of one another.

* * *

**Chapter 12. The Price of Dishonesty**

Cologne, having greeted her granddaughter's daughter, led the way down the street past what seemed at first the entire population of the village. Shampoo, weary and begrimed from her journey, shuffled along in her wake, lifting a tired arm to wave to people they passed. She exchanged spoken greetings with some, and made promises to meet a few later on. The young warrior flinched when she heard a familiar male voice shout, "Shampoo!"

Turning around quickly, she stepped to one side and watched in bored exasperation as a figure barreled past. Her brief glimpse revealed that he was dressed in flowing white robes, with his long black hair flying behind. As expected, it was her embarrassingly self-proclaimed and undesired suitor Mousse, overly exuberant as always, come to welcome her back. And just as blind as ever. Seizing Cologne in a hug, he loudly proclaimed. "At last! You're back! Oh how I missed you!"

The elder rapped the boy over the head with her staff, knocking him to the ground.

"Put on your glasses, fool!" she growled impatiently.

Mousse raised his face from the ground, reached up to the glasses perched atop his head, and slid them down in front of his eyes.

"Aiyee!" he screamed, leaping back. "A mummy!"

"Mousse!" Cologne warned, huffing with exasperation. "One of these days ..." She trailed off, shaking her head at her own foolishness. These antics had been going on for years, and no amount of punishing the lad had made any difference. "Just be on your way. Shampoo has no time to deal with you right now. She must report to the elders."

"But I have something of the utmost imortance to discuss with her," the young man whined. "Now that she has returned from her dangerous quest, I'm sure that she is ready to settle down."

"Idiot Mousse," Shampoo grunted. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'll never marry you? Leave me alone! I want a bath and a chance to rest, and I can't have either until I get this over with."

"But ..."

"Begone!" Cologne snapped, running out of patience. She forced him to leap aside with a swing of her staff.

Scowling at the old woman, the boy slinked away, muttering something under his breath. His chin rested on his shoulder as he walked off, keeping his beloved in sight, a hungry look in his eyes. Shampoo suppressed a shudder.

Cologne snorted and shook her head. Marching off, she snapped, "Come along!" Shampoo turned around and scampered to keep up.

A short time later, Shampoo found herself seated before a group of women, the youngest of whom was over sixty. Their regard was not unkind, but it was intent. It had been a long time since one of their people had journeyed beyond the borders of China, and they were eager to hear what she could tell them. But first things first.

"Did you complete your mission?" Cologne asked. "We received your message that you had caught up with the girl. Perhaps now you can tell us why we heard nothing after that."

Shampoo looked down in embarrassment. In a small voice which made it hard for those in the back to hear, she said, "I apologize for not reporting what happened. At first I was very busy trying to fulfill my oath. And then, well, things turned out very strangely. So much so that I wanted to explain in person."

Several women narrowed their eyes. One of them said, in chilling tones, "Meaning you did _not_ fulfill your sworn oath."

Shampoo looked up, and nodded her head. "True. I did not." She paused briefly, unable to resist the moment of dramatic tension, before adding, "Because I had sworn to kill a girl. And Ranma Saotome is a boy. He visited Jusenkyo before coming here. I gave the Kiss of Death to his cursed form."

This information startled all the old women around her for a brief moment. Some then became thoughtful, while others grinned. Cologne hid her mouth behind her hand and coughed. She sympathized with her great-granddaughter, spending so much time on a wild goose chase, but at the same time her eyes danced, imagining the expression on the boy's face when he finally learned that he had spent so many hundreds of miles fleeing a pursuit which had been a mistake from the beginning.

Shampoo continued her explanation. "I was very surprised when I found out about his curse. But then I realized it solved my, uh, problem." She sighed. "Ranma is very skilled at getting away, and I was having a lot of trouble cornering him long enough to kill him. I think I was also in a bit of shock at how, um, _suddenly_ it was all over. Again, I apologize, but I didn't even think to report what had happened until I was on the boat back home. Then I decided it might be better to explain in person. For one thing, I wasn't sure if everyone knew about Jusenkyo. I didn't, not before this trip."

"Of course we know about Jusenkyo and its curses," one of the women said primly. "You ought as well. Perhaps you should keep your ears open better."

"That's neither here nor there," another said. She fixed Shampoo with a steely gaze. "But if you didn't know about Jusenkyo, how did you know to believe what you were told? How did you know this Ranma isn't a girl cursed to turn into a boy?"

"I learned about Jusenkyo before I caught up to Ranma in Japan," Shampoo answered. "There was a boy ..." She stopped, trying to put her thoughts in order. Thinking that it would save time and confusion, she suggested deferentially, "Perhaps I should tell everything in order?"

On receiving nods, Shampoo began her story from the moment she ran out of the village after Ranma and the panda bear. She was questioned carefully on every step of her journey, both across China and in the foreign nation of Japan. The women were interested not only in her quest itself, but in receiving information on all of the places Shampoo had seen.

The elders listened in surprise as Shampoo described meeting the boy who bore a Jusenkyo curse which turned him into a pig, commenting among themselves over the coincidence of two Jusenkyo curses being encountered during her travels. There were a few disbelieving chuckles as Shampoo explained Ryoga's unnaturally bad sense of direction, and how she had come to discover it. Then she told about breaking through the wall at a school and confronting Ranma again at last.

"I tried to fight her, or him, except he was a girl at the time, but he, or she, ran away," Shampoo, visibly frustrated over the pronouns, sighed at the memory of the fruitless chases. "That's pretty much how the next couple of days went. I'd find Ranma as a female at home or somewhere else, I'd attack, he'd run away. He's very good at running."

"Is this boy so much a coward, then?" someone asked.

Shampoo thought about it. "I don't think so," she admitted. "We exchanged blows a few times, enough to know he's very, very good. Although I suppose the fact he, or she ..."

"Just stick to 'he'," one of the elders said in exasperation.

"Um, sorry," Shampoo responded meekly. "The fact that he defeated me on the challenge log was enough to show he is very good. Of course, if he really had been a girl, I'm sure that I would have, uh, killed her eventually."

"You were certainly taking long enough about it," another said. "So, I gather you chased him around and around uselessly, until you discovered his curse."

Shampoo nodded shamefaced. "After I'd chased and nearly caught him several times, he poured some hot water on himself. I suppose he was going to try to explain about Jusenkyo. Or something. It didn't really matter. I suddenly realized he'd been a boy all along. So the Kiss of Death never applied. After that ... there was no point in staying. I'd been away for so long already, and I missed everyone. I left right away."

Cologne snorted. "The way you've been describing him, I'm surprised you didn't stick around a little longer and try to talk him into coming back with you."

Her great-granddaughter blushed. "He _was_ very handsome. I, um, well, I sort of asked." She turned her face down to hide her eyes in embarrassment at this admission. "But he's already engaged to someone."

Cologne chuckled. One of the others smiled at first, but then grew thoughtful before saying, "It's more than a little troubling to me that this outsider could give you so much trouble. We train very hard to make sure that we never lose, that we need not fear any threat, yet you were unable to defeat him." She sighed. "Well, at least he never defeated you in return. Aside from the challenge log." Her expression hardened and she slowly repeated that statement as a question. "He never defeated you after the challenge log, did he?"

"No, never," Shampoo stated firmly. Her conscience prickled slightly at these words, thinking of her lost memories, but she had no proof Ranma was responsible for that. In any case, she had no desire to admit to the possibility of having lost again, either to Ranma or anyone else.

They discussed her return trip for a while, although there were not many new details to add, as Shampoo had essentially retraced her outward journey. Eventually they released her, and Shampoo gladly set course for her home, thinking longingly of a bath and clean clothes. She ran into a few friends along the way who wanted to chat, but Shampoo explained that she only wanted to rest and recover and that she would see them tomorrow.

On opening the door of her house, her eyes immediately lit upon her father, sitting in the front room reading a book. She paused, the sight of his familiar face filling her with a warm glow. His beard and long mustache were unchanged from her earliest memories. She recalled how she used to pull on that mustache when she was a little girl, a naughty habit to which she still succumbed from time to time. Even here inside the house he wore a cap and dark glasses.

On hearing the door he looked up from his book. His face lit in a smile upon seeing her.

"Daughter!" he exclaimed, rising rapidly from his chair and holding out his arms.

Shampoo flew into his embrace. "Father! I missed you so much!"

He stroked his hand over her hair, studying her face carefully where it was pressed against his chest. "Are you all right? I was afraid you would come home ... changed. But your eyes seem as cheerful and bright as ever."

Shampoo smiled and looked up at him lovingly. "It turned out to all be a horrible mistake. Ranma was really a boy, not a girl. He has a Jusenkyo curse that turns him into a girl." She frowned. "Do you know about Jusenkyo? How the curses work?"

"I know it's a place to avoid," he admitted. "If it can somehow curse a boy to turn into a girl, then I'm particularly glad I've always avoided it." He chuckled. "That would be most distressing. I feel sorry for the poor lad."

Shampoo smiled. "I suppose. But the good news is, he wasn't really a girl. So my oath to kill an outsider girl went ... poof! I came home as soon as I found out."

"And I'm so pleased you're back," her father said, continuing to gently brush a hand through her hair. "It's been very lonely here without you. What's worse, the only way I could find out what was happening to you was to go and ask the old ghoul for information."

His daughter slapped his chest lightly, fighting to hold back a grin. "Don't talk about great-grandmother like that! You're lucky she isn't here, or you'd get a rap over your head." She tapped a finger on top of his head to emphasize the point.

The man chuckled. "Oh, we get along tolerably well. But it was a sheer impossibility that anyone could ever have been good enough to marry her granddaughter, so she has to put on a show of finding me inadequate. I merely reply in kind." Although still happy about seeing his daughter, a faint air of sadness entered his eyes at this reference to his late wife, as it always did at any reminder of his loss.

"You're incorrigible, you know that. Never mind. I'm too happy to see you again to argue. It's wonderful to be back." She sighed. "And I really, really need a bath right now. And a change of clothes. Do you mind?"

He released his hold. "Of course not. Go along. I'll have dinner ready by the time you're done."

"Oh!" Shampoo closed her eyes in ecstasy. "Daddy's home cooking. You don't know how much I've missed that. I didn't have time to cook for myself, and the Japanese don't know how to cook anything properly. I'll be in and out as fast as I can!"

He laughed outright as his daughter ran down the hall. "Take your time! Otherwise you'll just have to wait for it to finish cooking!" With another broad smile he turned and walked into the kitchen.

* * *

Shampoo awoke the next morning feeling greatly refreshed. She had done nothing between supper and bedtime except to tell her father about her travels and listen in turn to his tidbits of gossip about things which had happened in her absence. Looking forward to her first full day back in the village, Shampoo rose from her bed, bathed again, then joined her father at the breakfast table.

"What are you up to today?" the teenage girl asked.

He sipped thoughtfully at his cup. "I have canceled all other obligations this morning in order to spend time with my little girl," he told her. "But this afternoon I'm teaching my archery class." He frowned. "I wish the elders would reconsider my suggestion. I enjoy teaching archery. I'm good at it. But I think our warriors would benefit more if they were given extensive training in the use of firearms instead. Hand to hand is always important, of course. But for long range fighting, modern weapons would be very useful."

Shampoo shrugged, having heard the argument too many times. For squabbles with other tribes here in the mountains, bows were more than sufficient, particularly as their opponents eschewed modern weapons themselves. And if they ever attracted the full ire of the PLA, then most likely they would have lost before they began, sheer numbers overwhelming any expertise the Joketsuzoku possessed in weapons or martial arts. Firearms would make little difference.

"So what do you want to do this morning?" Shampoo asked cheerfully.

"I think first you should tell me what you've been hiding," her father said carefully, keeping his expression gentle. "I didn't want to push you last night, when you'd just gotten back. But when you were describing what happened in Japan, I couldn't help but feel that you weren't telling me everything."

Shampoo fought to keep anything from showing on her face, but her very stillness was a confession of guilt. She had been trying to think of which of her friends she could approach in secret, someone skilled at the Xi Fa Xiang Gao, to ensure that all of her memories were recovered. The young woman didn't want the elders, and particularly her great-grandmother, to know that she had in a sense been defeated again.

"I'll find out eventually, you know," he added, his voice filled with parental omniscience.

Shampoo nervously admitted to herself that this was likely the truth. He always seemed to know when she had done something that she shouldn't, as if he possessed some mysterious sixth sense for it. Or maybe it just came naturally from being a parent.

But what if she did confess? While he was quick enough to punish her for misdeeds, Shampoo had never known her father to betray her confidences. Not even the time at age ten when she'd waxed the surface of the challenge log. She reflected that the statute of limitations had probably still not expired on that one.

And as the girl thought about it further, it came to her that there was another potential benefit from confessing. Shampoo asked hesitantly, "You know how to perform the Xi Fa Xiang Gao, don't you?"

Startled, he blinked a couple of times and replied carefully, "Yyeess. I suppose I'm not really supposed to, but it's not precisely forbidden, and your mother liked to teach me things ..." He shrugged. Then his eyes narrowed. "Why? Is there something you did that you'd rather forget? That's rarely a good idea."

"Actually, there's something I want to remember," Shampoo admitted, slouching down in her chair guiltily. "Someone used it on me. But I don't remember how. Or who. Or anything about it really. I just know whoever it was did a rotten job because I got most of the memories back on my own."

"Why didn't the elders fix this when you told them yesterday?" her father inquired reasonably.

Shampoo squirmed. "Because ... I didn't tell them."

He sighed, casting his eyes upward to the ceiling. "And why didn't you?"

She scrunched in on herself. "I ... I don't want anyone to know. It was bad enough losing the challenge on the log in front of everyone. Then I chased Ranma all the way across China and lost him. Then I caught up in Japan, but I was never able to defeat him. And I had no choice but to tell them about that. I, I don't want people to know that someone was able to do this to me at well." Her voice cracked, rising in pitch. "I w-won the tournament. I'm supposed to be the best!"

"Oh, daughter. Just tell them," he said persuasively. "It won't kill you to admit that someone was better than you. It's certainly better than trying to hide something from the elders."

"Please, daddy," Shampoo practically begged. "It's not like it's truly important. Ranma's a boy, so my quest was pointless from the start. It doesn't matter to anyone else that this happened. It only matters to me. Please don't shame me any more than I already have been."

The two of them continued to argue about it for a while, with Shampoo complaining that if people found out, she'd be shamed, that people would laugh at her, and so forth. She also argued that it could not be important to anyone other than herself. Her father wasn't buying it completely, but he was hesitating, unwilling to upset his daughter.

"You wouldn't really betray a secret, would you?" Shampoo asked querulously.

"Of course not," he replied stiffly. "You know very well that I would never betray you. But this needs to be fixed."

"And you can fix it," she pointed out, yet again. "Or, if you won't, then I have a couple of friends who know the technique. One of them can do it, if you won't."

Her father's mouth set. "This is a mistake," he grumbled seriously. Then he dropped his eyes, sighing, at the pleading look she gave him. There were times when she reminded him uncomfortably of her mother. "If you insist on doing this, then ... I will help you. Better that than one of your inexperienced friends. Come with me."

* * *

Berry knocked on the door of her friend's house. After waiting a minute, she knocked again. "Shampoo!" she called. "Are you home? You told me to come over this morning!"

Still receiving no response, she hesitantly tried the door, finding it unlocked. Deep down, she knew that she ought to go away and come back later, but nonetheless opened the door and slipped inside. Padding down the hall to her friend's bedroom, she halted at the sound of voices from behind the closed bathroom door.

A man's voice was muttering in exasperation. "Formula 123. 800. 1040. 666, what the hell's that one doing here? 007. Why have we got so many of these damned things in our house? Ah, here it is!" The voice turned triumphant. "Formula 119." There was a pause, followed by, "Are you sure you wouldn't rather ..."

"Please, daddy," came the voice Berry recognized as her friend Shampoo. "Just do it. I couldn't bear it if someone found out."

Berry stood there, worried and suddenly frightened, wondering what was going on. Formula 119? Wasn't that used for reversing the Xi Fa Xiang Gao technique? To recover the memories it had stolen? What was the man, presumably Shampoo's father, doing?

"Oh! That feels good!" Shampoo exclaimed pleasurably. After another moment she said, "It ... I think it's starting to come back. Ahh! It was Ranma! I tried to take his memories. He was a girl at the time. I had decided not to kill her. But ... he grabbed the shampoo from me. He used it on me. Why? Did he know what it would do? If he did, he didn't know how to use it properly."

Another minute passed. "Oh. I met him as a boy earlier. He was Ryoga's friend. I didn't want him mad at me, but why? That's the reason I decided not to kill him as a girl. That's funny, in a bizarre way. I didn't want to kill him as a girl so he wouldn't be mad at me as a boy. But why was that important to me?"

Berry was terribly ashamed at herself for eavesdropping, but couldn't tear herself away. Silently she stepped closer, placing her ear near the door.

"Oh my God!" Shampoo cried out. "I gave him the Kiss of Marriage! Oh my God, oh my God! How could I have forgotten?!" She laughed bitterly. "Damn him! I _joked_ with him about that. Just before I left. I said it was a pity I hadn't given him the Kiss of Marriage, and he knew all the time and didn't say anything! If he was standing here right now I'd wring his neck!"

"I'm finished," Shampoo's father announced, then continued disapprovingly. "I hope you're satisfied. So you made _another_ stupid oath, and didn't fulfill it. What do you intend to tell the elders?"

"Nothing," Shampoo said in a painfully bitter voice after a moment's hesitation. "I can't. I can't go back without admitting I lied, that I was defeated again."

"And not just when he took your memories either," her father said. "Or at least I presume there was a reason you gave him the Kiss of Marriage."

"Yes," Shampoo admitted sheepishly. "He knocked me out cold. Funny, I thought I was chasing him as a girl right then. I, uh, guess my memories must still be a little scrambled." She sighed. "Oh well. It was a stupid impulse anyway. Especially because it turns out he's already engaged to some girl, and if I'm going to marry some boy, I don't want him thinking about any girl except me. So ... I'll just stay here, and no one will ever be the wiser."

"And you leave your oath unfulfilled," her father said morosely. "Shampoo, Shampoo. What am I going to do with you? Please tell Cologne at least. Before this gets any worse."

"No!" Her voice was panicked. "No one has to know. You said you wouldn't tell. We'll just pretend this never happened."

Berry felt a sheen of sweat break out on her forehead, wondering how her friend would react to find that someone else knew what happened. And even if she didn't quite know everything, Berry thought she could fill in the blanks pretty well, from what she'd overheard. Would Shampoo try to swear her to secrecy? Berry shuddered at the thought of being asked about such a matter by her own grandmother, and having to choose between keeping her sworn word or lying to an elder. Staying as silent as possible, she scurried away, letting herself quietly out of the house and walking down the road as nonchalantly as possible.

* * *

Berry avoided Shampoo for the rest of that day, trying to decide what to do. She wasn't a snitch, but she was very uncomfortable about the knowledge she had stumbled across. One part of her wanted to go to Shampoo, urge her to tell the elders, to make a clean breast of things. But she was scared that Shampoo would refuse, and would ask her to swear not to tell anyone. At that point Berry wasn't certain what she would do. Her thoughts continued to circle around fruitlessly.

Berry shuffled into the kitchen blearily the next morning, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She stopped dead upon finally realizing that her grandmother Perfume was sitting at the table, terrified that the old woman might be there to interrogate her regarding Shampoo. Swallowing heavily, Berry was unsure whether to advance or retreat.

"What ails you, child?" her grandmother asked.

"Yes," her own mother added. "You've been acting strangely since yesterday. Quiet. Worried about something. Are you thinking of breaking up with your boyfriend?"

"No! No. Just something a friend said. In confidence. I'm a little worried for her."

"Oh," answered her mother, deciding not to pry. "Well, sit down. Eat your breakfast."

Perfume dismissed the matter from her mind as inconsequential. Turning back to her daughter, she continued the briefly interrupted conversation. "What amazes me about Shampoo's tale is that here's a boy who challenges her as a girl just shortly after receiving his curse, and wins! At least, I expect it was shortly after, since I remember the lad was accompanied by the guide from Jusenkyo. You'd think he'd still be trying to adjust to such a different body."

Berry was listening surreptitiously, since it concerned Shampoo, but so far what she heard didn't make a lot of sense.

"And then she never manages to lay a hand on him, the whole time she was after him," the old woman went on. "Do you realize how much skill that implies? Somewhere out there is a martial artist, just a teenager, who can easily stand up to the best of our girls his age. It's troubling, that's what it is. I wish I knew more about just how skilled he is. Does the fact that neither he nor Shampoo ever beat the other again mean that they're roughly equal?"

Remembering Shampoo's own words that during her trip some boy managed to defeat her not just once, but twice, Berry was unable to control a flinch on hearing her grandmother's question.

The old woman, eyes missing nothing, turned to regard her granddaughter shrewdly. The girl turned a face down toward her bowl, hiding her eyes. Guilt was practically radiating off of her. Sighing, the elder asked quietly, "What do you know, child? You'd best tell us. Did Shampoo say something to you?"

Berry shook her head back and forth quickly. After all, Shampoo had been speaking to her father, not to her.

"Out with it, girl!" Perfume said more sharply.

Miserably, Berry quietly demanded, "Would you ask me to betray a friend?"

The two older women drew back sharply. Perfume's eyes narrowed. "A question which certainly suggests that there is something to be betrayed. I would not ask you to tattle on someone who was sneaking around with a boy behind her parents' back, or someone who had played a practical joke, or anything of that nature. However, this involves a report given to the elders by a returning warrior. If she lied, then I need to know about it!"

Berry clamped her lips together, shaking her head back and forth in small, rapid movements.

Perfume pursed her own lips. The girl was obviously distraught, and pushing too hard might be unwise. Besides, there might be other ways to handle the matter. So instead she merely said, "See to your child, daughter," before standing and marching out of the house.

A short time later three elders were knocking on the door of Shampoo's house. Perfume was accompanied by Lotion and a clearly concerned Cologne. The door opened to reveal Shampoo's father, his face wary.

"Make yourself scarce, Talcum," Cologne said, not unsympathetically. "We need to speak to my great-granddaughter in private."

Worried, but unwilling to defy the implicit order openly, he stepped past the three old women. However he walked only a short distance down the road before turning to watch the closed door through which the elders had disappeared.

Unsuspecting, Shampoo looked up from her breakfast to see the three elders enter the room. They took chairs around the table, each of them keeping her gaze focused on the young Amazon warrior. Unworried as yet, Shampoo looked past them for her father, a small frown wrinkling her brow as she noted that he did not accompany them. Still, she supposed that they probably just had some followup questions from her debriefing.

Lotion was the one most easily able to assume the stern role since, unlike the other two, she was unrelated to Shampoo or any of the girl's close friends. Lotion settled a hard look on her face and stated, firmly, "We are concerned about the skills of the young man you pursued. As a warrior of the Joketsuzoku, I presume you understand. Is there anything else you can think of that you should have told us about your journey?"

Shampoo bit the inside of her cheek in sudden nervousness. Outwardly composed, she answered politely, "No, elder. I am quite sure that I have told you everything of importance."

"Anything unimportant?" she asked.

"How unimportant?" the girl asked. "I doubt, for instance, that you are interested in the interior design of Japanese bathhouses."

Lotion answered this sally with a small, tight smile, then frowned again. "All jocularity aside, if you experienced any other troubles while you were away from home, no matter how minor you consider them to have been, we would like to hear about them."

"No, elder," Shampoo declared with conviction. "I had no troubles other than what I already reported to you."

Across the table, Cologne closed her eyes and put a hand over them. Seeing this, Shampoo's nervousness spiked, forcing her to clench her hands in her lap to keep them from trembling. What had they learned? Her posture did not escape the elders' attention.

"Shampoo," Perfume said sternly. "My granddaughter, although unwilling to tell secrets, has been forced to admit the truth. We know what you have tried to hide from us."

"What?" Shampoo exclaimed. "How could she know? Only my father ... uh ..." She closed her mouth, swallowing against her sudden fear as she realized how she had just betrayed herself. Both Lotion and Perfume were looking at her with icy disapproval. Cologne's eyes were still hidden.

Lotion allowed a small amount of anger to leak into her voice. Which, under the circumstances, wasn't at all difficult. "You made an official report to the elders of our people. You deliberately withheld information. You _will_ be punished for this. Now, just how much worse do you want to make this?"

Shampoo turned her face down to her lap. How had they found out? Not that it mattered. She should have listened to her father. He had tried to warn her. The only choices at this point were to try to bluff, claiming not to know what they were talking about, which pretty obviously wasn't going to work given her own slip. And anyway, that would only make things worse in the end. Or else she could come clean, which was no doubt going to be very painful but was the only real choice in the end.

Not looking up, voice trembling, Shampoo confessed to everything. That Ranma had defeated her in his male form, knocking her unconscious. That she had surrendered to her impulsive nature again, and given him the Kiss of Marriage, binding herself to another oath. That she had planned to only take the girl's memories, leaving her alive and the original oath unfulfilled. That it was her memories which were taken instead. That she had known about the last when making her original report, and had regained the rest of the memories the day before.

Cologne looked up at last. "Why?" she asked. "Were you so frightened we would punish you?"

"Frightened, yes," Shampoo said quietly. "But not of punishment. Of people pointing. Laughing. I'd already been shamed before them. If they knew of my further shame ..."

"Foolish child," Perfume said, not unkindly. "If you'd only been honest. We could have kept the matter quiet, limiting the number who knew. But now ..."

"Now," Lotion nodded her agreement. "Now, you _will_ be punished. You have left us no choice about that. Exactly how is yet to be decided. Until further notice, you are confined to your house. You will be informed of our decision later."

The three elders stood. Cologne gave her great-granddaughter one last disappointed look, then all three turned and left. Shampoo let her face fall into her arms upon the table, weeping.

* * *

A larger gathering of the village elders had been called together, and the facts laid before them. A vigorous debate ensued over exactly how to handle the matter. Cologne remained silent except when called upon to reiterate some of the facts.

All agreed that Shampoo should be punished, with the only question being how. A few called for extreme measures such as exile. The less severe suggestions which were floated were generally decried as insufficient, as people might think she had received no more than a slap on the wrist. One crone demanded Shampoo's execution.

Perfume stood at that, scowling at the old battle axe who had just resumed her seat. The woman had been a nasty piece of work ever since their childhood together, but calling for a sentence of death was obviously going far beyond what was justifiable.

"Look, I'm the one who brought this to light, but if I'd known anyone would suggest the girl be put to death, I'd have kept my trap shut!" She gave the previous speaker another glare, then took a deep breath. "Shampoo was a fool, but a young fool. She's just sixteen, for pity's sake. I'm not saying what she did wasn't wrong, or that she shouldn't be punished. But let's be reasonable!"

"What would you suggest?" Lotion inquired. "I agree that execution is going much too far ..." She paused for her own glare at the one who had proposed it. "But I have to admit that spreading manure in the fields for a couple of weeks doesn't seem like enough, in this case. This was not some minor matter." Lotion frowned before going on. "We cannot tolerate withholding information of potential importance. Even worse, Shampoo followed up that lapse in judgement with deliberate falsehoods. And why? Simply out of fear of potential embarrassment." She shook her head over the follies of youth.

Several around her nodded their heads in agreement, and Lotion continued speaking, as much to get her own thoughts in order as to sway anyone to her opinion. "We keep ourselves isolated here, but we do need to have some idea of what is going on beyond our village. For that we depend on people who travel out of the village for whatever reasons. We always require them to report on all of their observations, and we require those reports to be accurate."

She paused for a moment, stroking her chin, before going on reminiscently. "Remember when that girl, uh, Pearl, yes, remember that embarrassing little incident with the captain of that infantry battalion? She was mortified to tell us about it later, but what if she hadn't? Things could have gotten pretty sticky if we hadn't had the chance to take immediate measures to circumvent trouble.

"That's why we can't afford to go too easy on Shampoo, despite her youth," Lotion told them. "We can't let others think they can get off lightly for lying to us, just because they're embarrassed. They have to see that we treat this seriously. The punishment has to be something sufficiently severe that no one else will be willing to risk the same."

"We should make her carry out her oath for the Kiss of Marriage," one of the women offered. "Given how much trouble she had trying to kill this boy when he was in his cursed form, I suspect she'd find it just about impossible to corral him in his true form." She paused before adding meditatively, "Unless he wants to be corralled." Shaking her head and setting aside the thought, she said, "My point is, we'd effectively be banishing her for some time to come."

Cologne stood and waited until all had quieted. She shook her head sadly. "Much though I would hate to see my great-granddaughter suffer, Lotion is absolutely right that we must be seen not to go too easy on her. We must discourage others from similar choices. I fear that some girls would think of it as a reward were Shampoo sent to retrieve a handsome young man and skilled martial artist as her husband. As for myself, yes, I agree that she _should_ do this, since the Kiss is an oath and oaths should be fulfilled. For that matter, I think it would be good for her to get more exposure to other cultures. But let us not try to pretend such a fate is a punishment."

One of the other women, who had been thinking over the tale of Shampoo's journey, gave a wicked grin. "What about Jusenkyo?" she asked. "If she were forced to live with such a curse, then I think our people would agree she had been soundly punished. Yet she would be alive and healthy, her skills and intellect unimpaired, still able to rise in rank among us. Besides, it might help in winning the heart of her husband-to-be. After all, he would know that here, at least, would be a girl who could understand and sympathize with his curse."

Cologne turned to regard the speaker with little favor, but again chose to remain silent rather than risk making things worse by inviting accusations of bias.

Perfume rose to the defense. "Don't you think that's a little extreme? Some of those curses would be horrible burdens."

The woman shrugged. "There is no reason it must be one of the more terrible choices. Something fairly ordinary should be fine, or as ordinary as such a curse may be. Within reason, of course. For example, I would object to the springs of warrior maiden or temple maiden."

Cologne lowered herself back into her seat, the weight of her years for once pressing her down. She sensed the hand of fate reaching out toward her heir, and as the matter was further discussed she proved to be right. The elders agreed to punish Shampoo with a Jusenkyo curse. The final decision was to leave the choice of curse up to fate and Jusenkyo. One of the elders would take Shampoo there to spar with her, and whichever pool the girl first fell within would decide her curse. So long as it was not one of the human female pools.

Perfume whispered briefly in Cologne's ears, and received a troubled nod in response. Addressing the others one last time, Perfume said, "May I suggest that Cologne herself be given this task? Hard though it will be to curse her own descendant, at least this will give her the chance to ensure, or attempt to ensure, that the girl does not receive any of the more horrible curses."

A few half-hearted objections were voiced, but the majority agreed to the proposal. When they adjourned Cologne remained in her seat for a while, forcing her brain to wake up and start making plans for how to achieve the best possible result from this disaster.

* * *

When Cologne entered the house she saw Shampoo sitting on the couch beside her father, the man's arm around her shoulder. The girl's eyes were red and puffy, but they appeared dry at the moment, as a warrior's should be. Both looked up at her entrance.

"The council has decided," she told them. "Pack your things, child. We'll be traveling a day's journey from here. We'll be back in two days."

Shampoo's face compressed in thought. She had expected something much worse than this sounded. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"You'll find out when we get there," the old woman told her. "One hour. I expect you to be ready to go when I return."

Talcum was less sanguine than his daughter about this turn of events. "Would I be permitted to accompany you?" he asked carefully. He wasn't sure what he would be able to do, having no idea what was coming, but hoped he might have a chance to ward off anything truly terrible.

"Suit yourself, muffin-brain. Just be ready in an hour." The elder vanished as quickly as she'd appeared.

Shampoo managed a tentative smile. "I guess ... this sounds like it might not be so bad after all." She strolled casually down the hall toward her bedroom, unaware of her father's worried eyes following her.

* * *

On entering her own house, Cologne quickly made her way to a back room containing many chests. She opened one and began throwing things out of it violently. A large pile formed behind her in the middle of the floor.

An "Aha!" emerged from inside the chest where she was bent over the side. Standing upright once more, Cologne grinned victoriously at the scroll she held. Quickly untying the ribbon wrapped around it, she unrolled the paper, examining the map carefully. It showed a mountain valley, and the name printed across the bottom was "Jusenkyo." There were more blank spots on it than she cared for just at the moment, but the most important pools were labeled.

Rolling it back up, Cologne resolved to study it more carefully in her tent that night. It was important to pick her location carefully. Not only must she place them near pools which could give her heir a powerful alternate form, she must also avoid locations with any of the more monstrous or helpless curses.

Tying the ribbon in place once more, she left the room to see to her own packing.

* * *

One of the village girls rushed into the dojo, hopping at the entrance as she removed her shoes one by one. Her attention was given more to the news she wished to impart than on what she was doing.

"Did you hear about Shampoo?" she asked breathlessly.

Mousse looked up quickly from sweeping the dojo's floor. What was this about his beloved?

The girl barely paused for breath before going on. "I heard that after she got back, when she reported to the elders, she lied to them about something. Or didn't tell them about something. Or something."

"Bad enough, whichever it was," the other said. "I wouldn't dare be even the tiniest bit dishonest with any of them. Sometimes I'd swear they're psychic." She bit her lip, eager to gossip but worried about being caught at it. "What did they do to her?"

The first girl leaned closer. Mousse found himself leaning in their direction as well. Not that it was necessary. Her excited whisper was clearly audible, even at a distance.

"What I heard was, she was sent to Jusenkyo. Sometime yesterday." Both girls shivered at the sound of the name.

Mousse's leaning posture turned into a topple, crashing face first onto the floor. Jusenkyo?! No, they couldn't possibly send his true love to that place of evil! His mind filled with images of horror at the fates which might befall Shampoo in such a place. Attacked by demons! Eaten by carnivorous rabbits! No, no! This couldn't be allowed! He must rescue her!

Jumping up from the floor, Mousse tore out of the dojo. The people inside all stared after him in surprise, wondering what had gotten into the boy. Then they shrugged as one and returned to their workouts.

Outside, Mousse was already approaching the edge of the village and accelerating, robes flapping in the wind of his passage. "Shampoo!" he cried aloud. "Hang on! I'll rescue you!" The fact that she might have already reached the valley never occurred to him. Neither did he consider his lack of knowledge of the exact location of his destination. Within minutes he had vanished from sight along the mountain trail.

* * *

At the same time that Mousse was running out of their village, Cologne was leading Shampoo and Talcum down into the valley of Jusenkyo. They could have reached the valley floor easily the day before, but Cologne had insisted on stopping to set up camp that night, in order to avoid answering questions about their goal while she took time to carefully study her map by lamplight in the privacy of her own tent.

Mists hung heavily over the place that day, but as they got closer the first pools came into sight. Bamboo poles stood here and there among them. There was no breeze, and the still waters were dark mirrors of the sky above them.

The sight of the pools called forth a memory from Shampoo. A camp in Japan, with Ryoga, as he described the place where he was cursed. The place which had only been known by her previously as a name of terror.

"This is Jusenkyo!" Shampoo exclaimed. She turned to regard her great-grandmother warily. "It is, isn't it? Why are we here?" She was pleased to notice that there was only a slight tremor in her voice.

Her father gave Cologne an equally concerned look. "What are you up to, old woman?"

The elder sighed, looking out over the pools of water, matching them to the map she had studied and trying to fix their locations in her mind. Without turning to face the other two she said, "You are supposed to be one of our best warriors, Shampoo. I hope you're prepared to show me a level of skill far greater than you demonstrated against your quarry Ranma. Because otherwise you're going to get wet. And I think you know what that means."

"Wait!" Shampoo protested in panic. "Can't we ..."

Cologne spun. Her staff swept Shampoo into the air and sent her flying. Twisting madly to orient herself, the girl managed to land lightly atop one of the poles. An instant later Cologne landed on another nearby.

"Great-grandmother ..." the frightened teenager protested despairingly.

"You knew that you were to be punished," Cologne stated remorselessly. "I am allowed to avoid the worst of the springs. That is all that I may do for you. I suggest that you prepare to fight as you have never fought before."

The elder leaped into the air. Shampoo's instincts took over, acknowledging and reacting to the danger. She jumped away, landing on another pole. The pair began a chase from pole to pole.

"What are you doing?" Talcum shouted, fear gripping his heart. "Cologne! Shampoo!"

A stout man ran up to him, speaking rapidly in Chinese. "I'm very sorry for taking so long, Honorable Customer. I was eating, and did not see you at first. I am the Jusenkyo guide." He bowed before his guest.

Talcum waved a hand out toward the pools. "My daughter and one of our elders are out there! What's going to happen?! She said there are curses! Something about a boy turning into a girl! What's going on?!"

The guide gazed through the mists, spotting the figures leaping above the waters from pole to pole. "Ah! They're using the training ground! Very dangerous! If they fall in pools, they'll be cursed. It's very strange. For many years, no one has dared to train here, but a man and boy did so two months ago and both fell in and were cursed. Now this."

"What do you mean, cursed?" Talcum asked fearfully. "What are the curses?" He barely restrained himself from shaking answers out of the man.

"If you fall in pool, you are cursed to take the form of whatever animal or person first fell into it, however long ago. Hot ..."

Shampoo's father grabbed the front of the guide's shirt, icy panic crawling along his spine. "Are you saying my daughter could be turned into some _animal_?!"

"So sorry, but yes. After that ..."

Talcum turned away, no longer listening. He cupped hands to his mouth and shouted, "Shampoo! Get out of there!"

Shampoo heard her father and thought grimly, ‹I'm trying, damn it!› Unfortunately, attempting to run away wasn't working. Her great-grandmother kept cutting her off from approaching the boundaries, and she had the distinct feeling she was being herded. But what else could she do? The idea of defeating the elder was preposterous. However strong her own skills might be, she wouldn't last five seconds if she turned to fight Cologne, and she knew it.

On the other hand, she didn't really need to win, did she? All she truly needed was a moment's respite, a chance to escape. If she could make the old woman hesitate for a brief second, long enough to get a few meters head start, then maybe, just maybe she could make it. It might be a long shot, but it was probably the only chance she had.

Cologne in the meantime was keeping half an eye on where they were, and she was reasonably satisfied with the position into which she had coaxed her heir. If there was no choice but to curse the girl, at least nothing here should be _too_ terrible. ‹That one there is the spring of drowned wolf, the spring of drowned badger, the spring of drowned eagle, the spring of, er, drowned tanuki, let's try to avoid that one, and the spring of, uh, um, drowned tiger. Good.›

Shampoo turned suddenly and launched a flying kick. Cologne applauded mentally. It had been completely untelegraphed and extremely well executed. Against any lesser opponent might even have worked. In fact, the elder was forced to hurry her block, having time only to aim the blow in the general direction of the springs of drowned wolf and tiger.

Cologne, balanced casually atop a bamboo pole, watched with a heavy heart as her great-granddaughter vanished beneath the surface of the spring of drowned tiger. There was nothing to do now but to wait for the girl to drag herself out, and to be thankful she hadn't hit her heir any harder. If the girl had overflown the spring of drowned tiger, she might have landed in the spring of drowned turtle instead.

Cologne suddenly frowned. ‹Wait a minute. The spring of drowned turtle wasn't near the spring of drowned wolf. It was ...› She turned and looked off into the distance. ‹... over there. Together with the springs of drowned ferret, horse and, oh shit, tiger. But then what was ...?› She returned her gaze to the pool in which Shampoo had fallen, struggling in sudden worry to remember its nature. Then it came to her. ‹House cat. Oh ... fudge. Well, I suppose it could have been worse.›

The water's surface was broken as a small feline head emerged, gasping for air. She fought her way to the bank as clothes drifted up behind her, floating uselessly. Dragging herself onto the bank, the bedraggled cat collapsed, panting.

"My daughter!" came a wail from off to the side.

Cologne jumped down and gently scooped the cat up into her arms. Shampoo did not struggle or complain, or even open her eyes. She just lay there. ‹Probably in shock,› the old woman thought to herself. Very carefully, she used her staff to fish the girl's clothes out of the water.

Threading her way between the pools, Cologne picked out a path to where the guide and her grandson-in-law were standing. Sitting herself upon the ground and holding the cat in her lap, she requested of the guide, "Hot water, please." Her voice and heart were both heavy.

"What - have - you - _done_?" Talcum loomed over the old woman, his teeth grinding the words into fragments.

"Hush, youngster," she replied flatly. "The girl will be restored by hot water." She watched the man's face turn to where the guide had vanished inside his hut. "That's how the curses work. Cold water will transform her into a cat. Hot water will make her human again."

He turned back. "For how long?" he asked, coldly. "How long will she bear this curse?"

"For the rest of her life," Cologne replied emotionlessly. "Unless she chooses to risk the spring of drowned girl as a cure. If she does, I would advise waiting a good many years first. The more time that passes, the less likely that the curses would mix instead, or interact in some other unfortunate manner."

"Why?" The word was stretched, dragged out of him.

The old woman sighed, all of her years apparent. "You know very well she was to be punished. Did you imagine she would only receive a slap on her wrists? This is a severe penalty, I admit, but worse ones are possible, and a few were suggested. Outside of accidents involving cold water, she will still be herself, whole and healthy, in every way."

Shampoo looked up. "Meow," she cried forlornly.

The guide came out of his hut, carrying a kettle. Cologne set Shampoo on her paws upon the ground, and took the kettle from the man. "Both of you turn around," she told the men sharply. When they had done so she poured the water, watching the body of her great-granddaughter unfold from the ground. Wordlessly she handed over the girl's clothing.

When she was dressed again, and without looking at the elder, Shampoo asked, "You said that the spring of drowned girl might cure me?"

The guide answered her. "Possibly. Jusenkyo has a mind of its own. More likely your curse would mix with the new curse, or something else strange would happen. You might live the rest of your life as a girl with fur."

Cologne added, "The less time between the initial curse and the attempted cure, the greater the risk. But understand, the risk is never eliminated entirely."

Shampoo nodded listlessly. "What now?" she asked.

"For now, we get out of this valley and set up camp," Cologne told her. "I don't like being so near these pools. This is my third visit to this accursed valley, and each time I feel like the place is angry at letting me get away uncursed. But we won't go far. I know you won't feel like a long hike, or seeing anyone else right away."

Shampoo's mouth twisted bitterly at these words. Seeing her friends, seeing them look at her with pity, was definitely not something to which she was looking forward. She was even more reluctant to see the expressions of less friendly rivals. "I wish I didn't have to see anyone. Not anyone who knew me before ... this."

Having no desire to hang around the valley herself, Shampoo grabbed her pack and started marching along the trail. Cologne and her father followed shortly after.

Talcum was still trying to decide how to react to all of this. The only thing he was sure of so far was that his daughter would not welcome any show of pity. He also fought down any thought of seeking revenge on Cologne. Not only was the idea foolhardy at best, but he understood full well that if it hadn't been her, it would have been one of the other elders. Likely Cologne had been willing to play executioner in order to exercise some measure of control over which curse his daughter received. In fact, strange though the idea was at first, he supposed that he should be thankful it had been Cologne and not someone more impartial. At least, he tried to convince himself of that.

As they walked Cologne said, "Concerning your desire not to see anyone who knew you before ... I'm afraid that we do need to go back to the village. For a few days. But then you and I are going to leave for a time. We're going to Japan. After all, you swore an oath when you gave that kiss. You must claim this Ranma as your husband."

Shampoo perked up a little at this. She truly didn't want to hang around the people she knew, seeing them pity her. At least not until a great deal more time had passed. Plus, Ranma was very handsome, and a superb martial artist to boot. She gave a moment's thought to the fiancée he was said to have, but then dismissed the girl. Shampoo had no doubt she could make him forget any other female quite quickly.

Talcum followed along in silence, thinking over what he had heard. He continued to do so as they set up camp once they were out of sight of Jusenkyo. He could guess that his daughter might be easily persuaded to leave home for a time, after what had just happened. He was less sure how welcome her attentions would be to the boy she had been unable to defeat, particularly as he was already engaged, but one never knew. At any rate, that was a problem for another day.

On the other hand, it was unclear how long she would be about this fresh pursuit. Given her inability to defeat him the first time around, just how readily would Shampoo be able to convince this Ranma to come back to China as her husband? As it seemed unlikely she'd be able to force him, she would have to rely on persuasion, and who knew how long that would take? And all that time, the person looking over his little girl would be her great-grandmother Cologne.

Not that Cologne would be a poor choice to watch over the girl. But the old bat was too focused on Shampoo the warrior, Shampoo the village champion, Shampoo her eventual heir, Shampoo the defender of the tribe's honor. Who was going to worry about Shampoo the teenage girl? Shampoo the naive girl who had only ventured out into the wider world for the first time so recently? Shampoo, who might get her heart broken by this Japanese cad?

"I will accompany you," Talcum announced firmly.

Cologne turned toward him, lifting an eyebrow. His words had not been in the nature of a request. They had been a direct statement. She studied him for a minute, his determined expression, reading something of his worries hidden behind his dark glasses. At last she gave a single nod, accepting his declaration. She could only hope that he would remember his place, and not interfere in his daughter's mission to secure her husband.

* * *

Mousse - tired, cold, hungry - surveyed the blurry scene before him. It didn't look significantly different from any other place he'd been for the last couple of days. He continued putting one foot in front of the other, determined that somehow, some way, he would find his beloved Shampoo and save her from the dangers of Jusenkyo. He only wished he had been able to take time to pack some supplies before pursuing her captors.

The land before him seemed oddly quiet, aside from the occasional drip or gurgle which spoke of water. Apparently quite an amount of it, he was coming to realize. The trees in this area also seemed to be both amazingly thin as well as short.

"Aiyaa! Honorable customer! Please be careful!"

Mousse turned at the sound to see a figure approaching him. A broad smile lit his face as he cried out, "Shampoo!" then ran up to hug her. With a shock he realized that his beloved had been putting on quite a lot of weight, and warned himself sternly not to mention it.

"What are you doing, honorable customer?! I don't swing that way!"

Perplexed, Mousse realized that the voice did not sound like Shampoo at all. He reached up to grasp the glasses sitting atop his head and pulled them down in front of his eyes. He took a quick step backward at the sight of the stout man in front of him, shoving the glasses back up to spare himself the view. "Who are you?" the boy demanded.

The older man was long accustomed to people who were not in the best of moods, and answered calmly. "I am the guide to the valley of Jusenkyo. Would you like a tour of the springs?"

Mousse spun, looking around him. "This is Jusenkyo? At last! I found it! Quickly, I must rescue my love, Shampoo! Where is she? She's a girl, my age, with long purple hair, the most beautiful eyes, ..."

The guide interrupted. "The girl of whom you speak came here two days ago. She ... met with her fate. Then she left again."

Mousse froze, staring outward. He hadn't made it in time? He was ... he was ...

Without turning to face the guide he croaked, "I'm ... too late?" He whispered a further protest, almost a wail. "Nooo." Blindly he stepped forward, not knowing where he was going.

"Aiyaa! Be careful!" The guide grabbed the back of Mousse's robe, halting his progress and pulling him back. Stepping in front to block his path, the man said, "Customer must be very careful. Each of the pools of Jusenkyo has its own tragic legend."

He turned his back on the boy, contemplating the pool into which the lad had almost fallen. "This is the spring of drowned duck. There is a tragic legend of a duck who fell into this pool thirteen hundred years ago. Now ..."

_Splash_.

The guide turned around slowly. A set of clothes were rising to float on the surface of another spring. He took a moment to reorient himself, trying to come to grips with the idea that the boy he had just prevented from walking into one pool had apparently turned right around and walked into another.

Shaking his head, he tried to remember which spring this one was. A head broke the water, triggering the memory. As the creature swam to shore the guide informed him, "Honorable customer fall in spring of drowned fox. There is a tragic legend of a fox who was chased into that spring fourteen hundred years ago. Now whoever falls in that spring is cursed to take the body of a fox."

The red furred animal dragged itself out of the pool, then violently shook the water from its coat, causing the guide to take a quick step back. Curiously, there was a pair of glasses perched on its snout in front of its eyes. It turned its regard on the older man in a "What now?" fashion.

The guide was still reflecting on the spring in question. "Do you know, I think you are the first person to fall in that particular spring since the fox who first ran into it. I'll have to check the records to be sure. However, all the springs of Jusenkyo are the same. Hot water will make you human again, but cold water will always turn you into a fox."

The guide fetched the boy's clothes out of the water with a stick, then made his way back to the hut with the fox trailing behind him. He put a kettle on to heat, reflecting that if customers were going to continue getting cursed at this rate, perhaps he should install a hot water heater. Removing the kettle from the fire he poured it over the fox, transforming him into a naked boy.

Mousse pulled his robes back on morosely. "Is this what happened to my Shampoo?" he asked quietly.

The man beside him nodded. "Except cold water turns her into a cat, not a fox. Like you, hot water returns her to her original self."

"And she left two days ago?" Mousse asked for confirmation. His voice rising, he snapped, "The only thing I accomplished here was to get myself cursed as well?"

The guide thought this over for a moment, but really that about summed it up. He nodded his head in agreement. Mousse gave a heavy sigh.

"Anything else?"

The guide proceeded to tell him some of the other facts about Jusenkyo's curses. In particular, he related the risks involved in attempting to use another pool to cure himself, which was compounded by the problem that the location of the spring of drowned man was not currently known.

In the end, Mousse accepted an offer to spend the night in the guide's hut. He reasoned that he had already failed to rescue Shampoo, and that she might be unhappy with him therefore. Furthermore, he had eaten and slept far too little in the last couple of days. Curling himself under a loaned blanket, he sought release from his tormented thoughts in sleep.

* * *

Two days later a fox slunk into the village of the Joketsuzoku, creeping carefully past the sentries. He was all too aware of the danger. His people, concerned for their chickens, would chase him off or even kill him before he could find some way to explain what had happened.

Nonetheless, Mousse detoured to pass near Shampoo's house on the way to his own. He didn't stay long, however, as his sensitive nose told him that no one was inside. Continuing on, he trotted through yards keeping close to the houses for concealment, rather than walking openly in the road. For this reason he was underneath the open window of some person's house when his sharpened hearing caught the name "Shampoo."

He lay his body down against the foundation but swiveled his tall ears upward. A couple of female voices were speaking inside. He kept his breathing quiet and shallow, the better to hear what was being said.

"So they're off?"

"Yes. Cologne decided it was best to take Shampoo away as soon as possible, now that she's had a few days to adjust to her curse. Talcum went with them. I suppose he decided she might be gone for a long time, and didn't want to be parted from her for so long."

"He may be right if the boy isn't the sort to succumb to her obvious charms, and agree to marry her right away. She obviously didn't have much luck overpowering him the first time around."

"I didn't get the impression the idea troubled Cologne overmuch. I think she sees it as an opportunity to get her heir some experience in the wider world. All of us on the council are expected to spend some time in our youth in other lands. Shampoo's a bit younger than the age most of us did that, but waste not, want not."

"True. Besides, I expect it'll be easier on the girl to stay away for a while. It was obvious the shame was weighing on her heavily."

"Yes, well, some time in an exotic land will probably help with that. At least, I suppose we can classify Japan as an exotic land. It's certainly changed a lot since I was a young girl."

"You were a young girl?" The speaker chuckled. "Sorry, couldn't resist. Yes, it's certainly a much more bustling place than around here. And I understand they're going to be staying in Tokyo, no less! Nerima, if I recall the name of the place correctly."

"That's right. Two days travel should get them to the airport, and then its just several hours of sitting around before they'll be in Tokyo. I wonder how long it will be before we see them again?"

Mousse didn't wait to hear any more. He made his way as stealthily but as quickly as he could to his own home. Finding a window thankfully left open, he turned on the hot water faucet in the kitchen sink and was human again just seconds later.

Wasting no time, the boy began packing all of his belongings that he could carry. From the sound of things it could be a long time before Shampoo returned home, and she might have a husband with her when she did. _That_ was something that he absolutely had to prevent, at all costs! What had the boy's name been? Ranma? Well, this Ranma would learn what it meant to steal the intended bride of Mousse of the Joketsuzoku!

While he packed, the young man considered the best way to follow. He certainly didn't want to arrive too late, again, but he did not possess Cologne's resources so flying was out of the question. He'd hike down and hop a freight train heading east to the coast. From there he'd barter travel or even stow away on a ship for Japan. Then ... Nerima. That was the place they'd said. Part of Tokyo. Once there he would find his Shampoo, and keep this Ranma's paws off of her.

A bare hour later, Mousse was slipping back out of the village, having neither seen nor spoken to anyone since his return. He cast a wary eye upon the clouds, then started the long trek down out of his native mountains.

* * *

The trio climbed the steps out of the subway station, casting their eyes upon Nerima at last. Talcum commented, "That hotel by the airport! I've never stayed someplace so ... luxurious before. I'm not sure I could have imagined it."

Cologne chuckled. "Yes. A four star hotel in downtown Tokyo is a far cry from home, isn't it? Don't get used to it though. I daresay the dwelling I choose for us here will be a fair sight more humble."

"What did you have in mind, anyway?" Shampoo's father asked. "We can't just keep spending money at that rate. If we're going to be staying here for some time, we're going to need to do something to earn money. I doubt that there's much call for Chinese archery instructors around here."

Cologne smiled. "I've already considered the matter. I'm planning to put another talent of yours, and of mine, to use. I plan to open a Chinese restaurant, specializing in ramen."

Shampoo looked surprised, but then nodded judiciously. "You and father are both excellent cooks. I just never thought of you doing it for a living."

Cologne gave her great-granddaughter an inscrutable look. "There are many things you don't know about me child. As a matter of fact, I've run a Chinese restaurant in a foreign land before. So I already have a pretty good idea of how to go about it."

Speaking thoughtfully, she went on. "We'll need to find a place with a good location, where the rent isn't too high. Possibly someplace that's already a restaurant, but doing poorly, that won't mind selling us their equipment and letting us take over the lease. A place with an apartment above it where we'll live. I don't think we'll have too much trouble, though it might take a bit of looking to find the perfect site."

Talcum added, "You'll want a flat roof, or a courtyard behind the place, or something like that which is suitable for Shampoo's training. I know none of us would want her to get out of shape."

Cologne nodded, then turned to her heir. "Why don't you look up this young man of yours, while your father and I start searching for our future restaurant? Make sure the boy is still where you left him, before we complete any financial arrangements. Maybe let him know you're back in town. One or both of us will meet you, hmm, by the subway station, say, in three hours or so."

Shampoo nodded happily, then took off running. The strangeness of the foreign city, the thoughts of the boy she planned to marry, for the time being these drove out thoughts of her curse. Excited by the knowledge that each footfall was bringing her closer to Ranma, Shampoo considered plans for the best way to surprise her airen.

* * *

**Author's note:**

This chapter overlaps in time with the following chapter, which will tell of events which have been taking place simultaneously back in Nerima.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	13. Copycat

**Side by Side  
By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Sequel to _Togetherness_. Alternate universe story in which Ranma and Akane are cursed to change into duplicates of one another.

This chapter picks up where chapter 11 left off with Ranma and Akane, overlapping in time with chapter 12.

* * *

**Chapter 13. Copycat**

A couple of days after the return from the eventful training trip, Ranma and Genma were out in the yard when Kasumi called them for breakfast, signaling an end to their morning sparring match. Both were in their cursed forms due to the dunking in the koi pond which seemed to be an inevitable part of these bouts, no matter how hard either tried to avoid it. Akane and Nabiki entered the room from the hall at the same time the panda and the girl with the ponytail did so from the garden. Knowing her middle sister's habits well, Kasumi had a cup of coffee ready to hand to Nabiki, which she accepted with sleepy gratitude.

As the caffeine started to circulate through her brain, Nabiki forced her half-closed eyes to focus on the two youngest members of the household. For a minute she was confused as to which of the identical girls was her sister, before her sleep-addled brain noted that the shirt of the one on the left was damply sticking to her chest. Not that it really mattered who was who at the moment. Addressing both, she asked, "So, have you two caught up on your schoolwork?"

"Pretty near," Ranma answered.

Akane amplified his statement. "We only missed two days, so there wasn't that much. We took care of most of it when we stayed after school yesterday. There's just an English translation left to write. We can do that tonight."

Nabiki silently examined her younger sister for several minutes as she continued to sip the hot brew. Finally she observed, "It looks like most of the scratches and stuff are fading already. That's quicker than I expected. You looked like you were in pretty bad shape Sunday night."

Akane smiled. "It looked worse than it was. Some of the bruises and scratches will take longer to heal than others, but thankfully thats mostly the ones on my legs and body where you can't see them." She gave a small laugh before adding, "They caused a bit of comment in the locker room yesterday, though."

"Anybody causing trouble?" Nabiki asked sharply.

"Huh?" Akane looked puzzled, then enlightened. "Oh! No. No, they were just concerned. Worried for me. Wondering what had happened. That sort of thing. There are a couple of bruises on my legs up near my hips, and one on my side, that are pretty spectacular looking."

An expression passed over Ranma's face so quickly that Nabiki almost missed it - would have missed it if she hadn't been looking directly at him. Nabiki put down the mug and leaned on the table, fixing him with a hard gaze, and said firmly, "Ranma. You're doing what you have to do. We know that."

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered. Her words did nothing to make him feel less guilty. Then he brightened. "At least today's lessons won't be dangerous. We're going swimming. I was talking to somebody on the swim team yesterday, and he recommended this pool out north of Nerima. We're going there after school."

It was Akane's turn for a troubled look to pass briefly over her face. She suppressed a shudder with difficulty.

Kasumi quietly walked back into the room carrying a steaming kettle. Nabiki was the first to notice her return, then Akane and Ranma looked up, all three watching as the older girl came around behind Genma. The panda, alerted at last by the others' reactions, froze, chopsticks poised in front of its mouth, eyes wide with apprehension. Kasumi poured and Genma leaped to the side, howling, wrapping his gi around his body faster than the eye could follow.

"Dammit girl! What's wrong with you the last couple of days! I've told you it doesn't have to be boiling!"

Kasumi raised a hand to her mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry, Uncle Saotome! I suppose I forgot again."

Soun Tendo finally joined them at that point. He appeared to be highly agitated, his movements choppy, his eyes darting around. He began opening cabinet doors, and even bent down to look under the low table.

"Is something wrong, father?" Nabiki asked calmly.

He glanced up at her, his expression woebegone. "My cigarettes. I can't find them. I thought I had at least three cartons. But when I went for a cigarette Sunday night, they weren't there. I picked up a pack yesterday. Now I can't find those." His fingers were twitching as he spoke.

"Oh dear," Kasumi said sympathetically. "Are you sure you aren't misremembering? I haven't seen any cigarettes lying around the house."

He looked at his eldest daughter nervously, worried. He hoped, he prayed, that the fault lay in his own memory. Because if so, all he needed to do was to replenish his stock, and all would be well. But memory conjured up a handful of other occasions, times when he had done something which had brought silent but severe disapproval. If this turned out to be a punishment for certain events of the weekend just past, then it wasn't likely to be over nearly so quickly. Giving up the search for the time being, he knelt at the table, lifted his newspaper in shaky hands, and started on his own breakfast.

Kasumi turned with an innocent smile to where the other teenagers were kneeling at the table, none of them able to hide the smirks on their faces. Gently she reminded them, "Isn't it time you three were leaving for school?"

Nodding, they all rose and left the room to finish their morning preparations and be on their way.

* * *

Upon arriving at school, Nabiki was immediately hailed by one of her classmates, a girl with a long ponytail who pulled her aside for an intense whispered conversation. Paying no mind, Akane and Ranma continued on to their own classroom. They made it with plenty of time to spare before the bell rang.

When lunchtime rolled around, the students of Furinkan High School spilled out over the grounds to eat outdoors in small groups. One young man by the name of Hikaru Gosunkugi walked all the way across the schoolyard to the outer wall where he seated himself beside a bush. It was his accustomed place for eating when the weather was nice - it was out of the way, no one bothered him, and most important of all was the view it provided. As he opened his carefully packed bento, Hikaru cast his eyes back toward a tree near the school, where a smiling Akane Tendo was at that moment lowering herself to the grass, sitting among some friends.

Hikaru watched Akane constantly, had watched her since the beginning of school in April, the day he had beheld her for the first time ever. He was fortunate enough, or perhaps unfortunate enough, to be in the same homeroom as she. Previously a top ranked student, his grades had suffered this term as he found himself paying more attention to Akane than to their instructors.

Nor did his obsession end with the final school bell. At home he spent endless hours lying on his bed thinking of Akane, or sitting at his computer studying photographs he surreptitiously took of her during the day, or practicing rites of voodoo he studied for the purpose of inducing her to take notice of him. Hikaru would stay up late into the night imagining, fantasizing, playing out conversations in his head which he would have with her. Dates they would go on together. Other things they would do. Dark circles had appeared under his eyes early in the term due to these sleep deprived nights, and they had only grown darker as time went by.

Hikaru had never been a member of the hentai horde. Not that he wouldn't have loved to find himself in a position where Akane was compelled to go on a date with him - indeed, his attempts at voodoo were often aimed toward producing such a compulsion, although he never thought of it that way himself. Instead, he tended to think in terms of asking her for a date for which he could be assured she would joyfully accept. But he never considered for an instant joining the horde, knowing all too well that he had no hope of defeating Akane where all of those athletes constantly failed. Not to mention that Hikaru had an intense aversion to pain of any sort.

Thus he had watched, as other males vied for the right to date the girl of his dreams. And cheered their failures. All the while telling himself that he was waiting for the opportune moment to convince Akane how much better he was than all those others, after which the two of them would finally be a couple and he would be the envy of every boy in the school.

Then disaster had struck. Hikaru had been watching like so many others when Tatewaki Kuno had gotten through Akane's defenses during their morning bout, and she had fallen. He had waited in agony to hear of her recovery, only to receive news of her coma, a coma from which it had seemed she would never awaken. His days during that time were dark indeed, and he had hardly known how he continued to drag himself out of bed and to school each day.

But even then the universe was not yet done with heaping misery upon him. No, Akane had recovered at last, and returned to school. But not alone. Not alone at all. She had come accompanied by a fiancé. A boy who was able to defeat any other martial artist who might protest the engagement, even Kuno himself. A boy who, all unknowing, had from that moment become Hikaru's sworn enemy.

Saotome. Ranma Saotome. The very name repulsive to the ears.

Yet Hikaru had so far been unable to come up with any plan to alter the current state of affairs. If defeating Akane had been beyond his reach, the idea of challenging Saotome was utterly ridiculous. There was no hope whatever in any form of physical attack, and he had yet to find the key to make his magical rituals drive away his rival. He was therefore reduced to waiting. And watching. And continuing to take photographs. And hoping that no one ever discovered that ...

A shadow fell across him. "Hello. Gosunkugi-kun, isn't it?"

Hikaru looked up to see a sight which drained the blood from his face. Nabiki Tendo, Akane's sister. She was smiling, but there was no comfort in the smile, because her eyes were cold. Ice cold. Hikaru shivered, every rumor he had ever heard of things Nabiki had done passing swiftly through his mind.

"..." He opened his mouth, but was unable to force any sound out of it.

"Come with me," Nabiki said, her voice superficially pleasant. She reached down and seized Hikaru's arm in an iron grip, lifting him to his feet. Her strength shocked the boy, as it did most people who unexpectedly encountered it. And no one ever encountered it except unexpectedly, since Nabiki preferred to keep a low profile about the fact that she worked out regularly, even if she was far from the fanatic her younger sister was.

"Wh-Where are we going?" Hikaru asked nervously.

Nabiki began marching him toward the tree he had been watching. "Why, to fulfill your fondest wish, Gosunkugi-kun, or so I'm told. We're going to speak to my sister."

Hikaru found that his voice had failed him yet again. He watched, mouth dry, as they drew close to Akane. If it weren't for Nabiki's hold on his arm, he likely would have fallen to his knees in the grass.

"Hi Akane," her older sister called in passing, "Could we have a moment of your time?" She continued walking toward the school.

Akane shrugged to her friends, then stood. A moment later she joined the other two, the three of them standing beside the school building, no one else nearby.

Nabiki wasted no time. Addressing Hikaru, she grimly stated, "I've received information that you were seen with Tatewaki Kuno yesterday. Seen taking money from him, in exchange for photographs. Photographs of my sister here, perhaps?" Her eyes grew even colder as she spoke.

Akane's eyebrows lowered, her expression passing from puzzled curiosity to growing anger.

"No! Never!" Hikaru choked out. "I ... I wouldn't!"

"Never?" Nabiki asked quietly. "As it happens, my informant had more than her own word to give me." She pulled out a photograph, and held it where the other two could see. Two boys were clearly visible in the picture, Tatewaki and Hikaru, their hands in the middle holding either end of something.

Akane took the photograph from her sister, examining it closely, confirming the identities. The closer inspection also revealed that what they were holding was indisputably one or more yen notes, although the denomination could not be made out.

Akane turned to Hikaru. With a furious hiss, she spoke only one word. "Why?"

The boy saw her biceps begin to bulge, took note of the lightning flashing in her eyes, watched his life passing in front of his eyes. Waving his hands weakly, he stammered, "It wasn't ... I wouldn't ... not that. No photographs. He was ... paying for something else."

Before Akane could react to his response, Nabiki said coldly, "Bad decision."

The older girl pulled out several more stiff rectangles, and continued condemningly. "The person who was watching you followed Kuno. She pretended to feel faint outside a café. Kuno sat her down and went to get something for her to drink. While he was gone, she searched his schoolbag and found these." Nabiki turned the photographs over. Speaking with seeming casualness, she stated, "You were seen outside the gym during P.E. class yesterday."

Akane looked over the new set of photographs. Her face darkened further as she recognized the balance beam exercise she had been doing the day before. She turned to the boy beside her. "Any last words?" she growled.

For a brief moment, all Hikaru could think was, ‹Akane Tendo spoke to me!› Then reality reasserted itself and he fell to his knees, speaking rapidly, the words keeping time to the banging of his head on the ground at her feet. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I had to! I never meant any harm! He made me!"

"What do you mean, 'he made you'?" Akane demanded fiercely.

"Weeks ago," Hikaru stumbled on. "After you came back to school. I was just taking photographs. I never meant any harm by it. People take photographs at school all the time. But he found out somehow. Kuno. He made me sell them to him! Then he told me I had to get more! He ... he threatened me if I didn't! I had to!"

Akane regarded the boy dubiously. On the one hand, she could well believe Kuno issuing such threats, forcing someone to perform acts which were less than honorable. On the other hand, she felt less than certain that she was getting the whole truth. Gosunkugi had obviously been profiting from the arrangement, even if unwilling, and how long had he been taking pictures of her before Kuno's involvement? She looked at the topmost photograph again, distastefully, showing her in a handstand on the balance beam, her shirt having ridden up exposing her midriff.

Had she happened to look, Akane would have seen her sister regarding the boy at her feet even more scornfully. Not to mention that Nabiki was filled with a sudden nagging worry that Akane would buy this sob story.

A worry which was borne out a moment later. Akane expelled a heavy breath then settled a stern expression on her face.

"Gosunkugi-kun, I'm very sorry if Kuno-senpai threatened you, but you should have come to me. I would have convinced him to leave you alone if necessary. For that matter, threatening you would probably be a violation of his probation. It was quite wrong of you to do what you did." She paused and pursed her lips. "Now promise me you won't take any more of these photographs."

Hikaru looked down, but knew there was no other answer he could give her. He certainly wasn't going to refuse. "I ... I promise," he whispered.

"Good," Akane stated definitively, then she turned and walked off.

Nabiki watched with raised eyebrows as Akane walked back to the tree, picked up her bento, then headed toward the school entrance. As Hikaru struggled back to his feet, she remarked, almost conversationally, "You know, you're damned lucky. I expected her to take it a lot worse than that."

Half the length of the school from them, Akane put her hand on the door as if to open it but then stopped. She stood there for a moment before turning around. Nabiki and Hikaru watched, curiously, as she strolled back over to join them. A minute later she was standing in front of them once more.

"Sorry," Akane said. "I almost forgot."

Then her hand came around in a slap that almost took the boy's head off. He spun around and fell into Nabiki's arms, stunned, as Akane marched off again. The older girl looked down at him, then opened her arms and dropped him to the ground.

Looking down at the figure on his hands and knees at her feet, Nabiki said, "I still think she let you off _waaay_ too lightly." She turned and left as well, trying to decide if she had the right to extract any further retribution when her sister had not, and resolving at the very least to have an eye kept on the boy.

* * *

"Hey! Voodoo spike!"

Hikaru turned slowly, anger welling up, as always, on hearing the hated nickname. He forced himself to swallow the anger, as always, since past experience had shown he was impotent to stop his classmates from using it, and any attempt to do so would only make things worse. His teeth ground together on seeing that the culprit on this occasion was none other than Ranma. The anger burst forth again.

"Don't! ... call me that," he demanded, trying not to snarl.

Ranma came to a halt in front of him, blinking as he took in the other boy's expression. A smirk crossed his features and he replied, "Sure. Whatever you say. I asked the other guys, and that's who they said you were. What should I call you?"

Looking down, twisting the handle of his school bag in his fist, Hikaru said, "I _am_ in your class, you know."

"You are?" Ranma responded in surprise. "You sure? Uh, yeah, I guess you would be. So, uh, ..."

"It's Gosunkugi. Hikaru Gosunkugi."

"Okay, sure," Ranma said cheerfully. Then his tone cooled a little. "So, Hikaru, Nabiki tells me you been selling pictures of Akane to that Kuno creep. And you told Akane it was 'cause he threatened you."

"It's the truth," Hikaru said bleakly. Not that he planned to let Ranma know about his own personal collection of photographs of Akane, far larger than what he had sold to Kuno.

"Mmm," Ranma hummed noncommittally. "I got a couple things to say to that." He paused, tilting his head to the side.

After a few seconds it became apparent the other boy was waiting for him to go on, so Ranma did. "First off, if Kuno threatens you any more, just let me know. I'll go with you to meet him. Then I'll kick his ass and let him know he'd better not bother you again. And I'll keep doing it till he gets the message. Got it?"

Hikaru simply nodded, acid burning in his gut at the thought of accepting help from his rival.

Ranma clapped him on the back, making him stumble. "Good!" he said with a smile. Then the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees, even though Ranma's expression didn't change at all. "Second. Just in case there wasn't as much threat involved as you say, I wanted to let you know that if you give him any more photos of Akane I'll kick _your_ ass. You got that?"

Hikaru's hand tightened even harder on his school bag, cutting circulation to his fingers. "Yeah. I got it Saotome," he said stonily.

"Great!" Ranma replied. "See you around then!"

As the young martial artist turned around to leave, Hikaru reached out and grabbed a strand of Ranma's hair. With a quick yank it came free, forcing a yelp from Ranma before he spun around in confusion.

"Hey! What was that for!" he exclaimed, putting a hand to the sore spot on his scalp.

"Sorry," Hikaru muttered. "Saw a bug."

Ranma gave him a hard look, then shrugged. He turned and strode off, whistling as he went.

As soon as his hated rival turned, Hikaru made his way over to a tree, chortling under his breath at his audacity and its success. Setting down his bag, he pulled out a prepared doll, a spike and a hammer. He carefully inserted the stolen hair through the fibers and into the doll. After saying the ritual words to bring bad luck to the one represented by the doll, he placed it against the tree and jabbed the spike through it. He then hammered the spike in with short, quick blows.

Pain suddenly exploded through him, as the hammer slipped on the final swing and struck his thumb. He dropped the tool and hopped around in pain, clutching at the injured digit, cursing Ranma under his breath and placing the blame for the accident entirely upon the shoulders of the other boy. It wasn't like he needed this latest indignity to make the day any more devastating, and he still had to worry about the appointment with Kuno later and what he would tell the older boy.

Leaving the schoolyard at last, Hikaru worried over what he should do as he walked down the street. Should he simply skip the upcoming appointment? Should he keep it and tell Kuno that he had promised not to sell him any further photographs? Should he break his promise to Akane, risking her anger but at least avoiding the wrath of Kuno?

Damn that Saotome anyway! If it wasn't for him, things would be so much simpler. With Kuno gone and the hentai horde disbanded, he was sure that he could convince Akane to take notice of him, to go out with him. If only there was some way to get rid of Saotome. It was a pity that Kuno wasn't strong enough to drive the bastard off. Or at least sneaky enough.

Hikaru's footsteps faltered. While it was true that Kuno wasn't sneaky enough, he, himself, was more than clever enough to outwit that muscle bound Saotome. Slowly, his lips twisted into a grin. His brains, and Kuno's brawn, combining to rid themselves of their mutual problem? Then with Kuno still forbidden to come to the school, Hikaru could have Akane all to himself!

He picked up his pace, walking more quickly, almost anxious now to get to his destination and the meeting with Kuno. A few minutes later, the boy took a quick look around for any potential spies, then slipped inside the private kendo dojo where Kuno had chosen to practice since leaving Furinkan. He found the young kendo master sitting on a bench in the locker room, pulling on his hakama.

"Ah, Gosunkugi-kun. I eagerly look forward to seeing what images of my fierce tigress you have captured for me today."

Hikaru adopted an apologetic stance, head bowed. "I'm sorry. A boy in my class threatened my life if I took any further photographs. He stole the ones I had."

Kuno stood swiftly, grabbing his bokken where it leaned against the locker and lifting it into the air. "What?! Who is this cur? How dare he interfere in my affairs?"

Head still bowed, Hikaru answered, "His name is Ranma Saotome. He says he is Akane Tendo's fiancé."

"A base lie!" Kuno shouted. "I know the villain of which you speak! He is an evil sorcerer who holds the fair Akane under his dark spell! I have sworn to strike him down and so free her!"

Hikaru controlled himself, resisting the temptation to point out that so far the kendoist had been singularly unsuccessful in achieving this aim. Instead he suggested persuasively, "If you wish to ensure your victory, you should strike at his weak spot. Every man has one. Shall I tell you of Ranma's?"

Kuno grabbed the front of Hikaru's shirt, lifting him off his feet. "Do you mock the Blue Thunder?! Do you think I have fallen so low that I must strike secretly at an enemy through his weak spot?!"

Hikaru swallowed hard, suddenly nervous. "I'm s-sorry! I didn't think ..."

"Well?" asked Kuno.

Puzzled, the boy held in his grip responded with, "Well what?"

"What is Saotome's weak spot?" Kuno amplified.

"B-But you said ..."

"Fool!" Kuno shouted. "There is nothing cowardly about striking at a weak spot openly! Now tell me what it is."

"I-I-I don't know what it is yet! I need to find it!" Hikaru was fighting hard not to panic.

Kuno slammed him back against the locker, then dropped him to his feet. "Then find it. I will give you one week." Kuno turned on his heel and left the room.

Hikaru collapsed, sitting on the bench, half dazed. He wondered if perhaps he had just made an incredibly stupid mistake.

* * *

Akane glanced at the boy walking beside her. "So, what do you think Gosunkugi-kun is up to? Asking you to meet him at this place across town?"

"Dunno," Ranma replied. "Just like I don't know why you're tagging along. Didja ever think it might be something he'd be embarrassed for you to know about? Like asking me for help to stop Kuno bullying him?"

Akane shrugged. "If you like, I'll stay out of sight until he says what he wants. But I want to be here just in case. He's been up to something all week. All those photographs ..."

It was Ranma's turn to shrug. "He only promised not to take any more photos of you. Can't imagine why he wants all those pictures of me, but I doubt it's to sell 'em to Kuno. It's not like I care if he wants pictures of me running on the fence or sticking my tongue out at him."

"Yeah," Akane grunted. "I just wish you'd said something to me before I frightened him out of his wits Thursday. When he snapped that photograph I forgot I was in my cursed form for a moment and nearly tore his head off for it. He was lucky to escape with nothing more than a couple of bruises along his neck."

"Eh." Ranma gave her a long look before giving a sniff and complaining, "But anytime I forget I'm in my cursed form and do something that embarrasses you, it's all my fault."

"It's not ..." Akane paused, her mouth twisting wryly. "Okay, maybe it _is_ the same thing. But don't change the subject. The question is, what is he up to?"

"Guess I'll find out in a moment. We're here." He pointed at the address above the door. "What the hell is a little shrimp like Gosunkugi doing in a dojo? Think maybe he's decided to take up martial arts?"

Akane looked dubious. "If he tries to take on Kuno he's going to get hurt."

Ranma sighed his agreement. "Well, I'm not gonna get any answers standing out here. Y'know, this place looks kind of exclusive. Somehow I don't think it's gonna be too easy for you to sneak in and stay out of sight. Why don't you go around the side there, see if you maybe can find an open window you can hear us through?"

Akane nodded and slipped around the corner of the building. Ranma pushed open the door and strode in confidently.

"May I help you?" The man who appeared in front of Ranma had a lilting voice and delicate facial features, but his muscles bulged impressively and he moved with fluid grace.

"I'm, ah, supposed to meet a Hikaru Gosunkugi here." Ranma scratched his head. "At least, I think this is the right address."

The man nodded and pointed at a door. "He's through there, with Kuno Tatewaki."

Ranma gave a small start on hearing this, but still turned immediately toward the door, thinking fast. On stepping through the doorway he made an immediate appreciation of the entire room. Hikaru, cowering in the middle of the room. Kuno standing beside him, in full kendo garb, holding a bokken, glaring at Hikaru. A collection of photographs were scattered on the floor at the older boy's feet, which Ranma identified as the pictures Hikaru had taken of him that week. A window to the side, he was pleased to notice, was open.

Ranma leaped just as Kuno's bokken cleaved the air where he had been standing. For amusement's sake, he alit lightly on top of Kuno's head. "Hey, Gosunkugi," he called cheerfully. "What'd you want to see me about?"

"_Where_ do you think you are standing?" Kuno growled slowly.

"On top of your head?" Ranma asked innocently. He heard a soft snicker from outside the window.

At that moment Hikaru grabbed a box at his feet and flung the contents in Ranma's direction. Ranma and Kuno both raised their arms in instinctive defense. A veritable menagerie of vermin fell upon them; spiders, toads, lizards, centipedes, slugs, worms, and things even more vile.

Kuno collapsed to the floor, his muscles rigid. Ranma landed lightly on his feet, startled but annoyed, as he began fastidiously to flick the creatures off of himself. "What's with all the critters, Gosunkugi? Trying to get me angry?"

"I thought you might be phobic about horrible creatures. Um ... are you?" he asked hopefully.

Ranma regarded his classmate with disgust. They both looked down at Kuno twitching on the floor. This served to draw Ranma's attention to the discarded photographs of himself. The light suddenly dawned for him.

"Ohhh, _I_ get it!" Ranma chuckled. "You're trying to see if I have a weakness. Well, too bad. I ain't scared of _nothing_!"

Kuno leaped to his feet, cradling the snakes and other vermin in his arms. "You liar! Even I am afraid of these things!" He thrust them out toward Ranma.

Ranma backed off a step, looking at the other boy as if he'd lost his mind, then turned his gaze to the creatures lying in Kuno's arms. "Are you _sure_ you're afraid of those things?" He shook himself. "Anyway. Sorry to disappoint you, but like I said, nothing fazes me. You might as well give up."

Kuno gave him a sly smile, while opening his arms to drop their contents. "If nothing scares you, as you say, then you will not care if we continue seeking such a weakness."

Ranma shrugged nonchalantly, not wanting to let them know that there was indeed something to be found, one itsy weenie little problem he had. Besides, he did a pretty good job of keeping it hidden, and figured they didn't have a chance of finding it. "Whatever," he told them in a bored tone. Seeing no point in wasting further time there, he simply walked out.

Akane started to circle the building back toward the front when she heard a bloodcurdling scream. Fear gripping her own chest, she began running, wondering what could have happened to Ranma. On reaching the street she didn't see him around, at least not until she looked down the road, where she saw him already three blocks away and running fast.

‹What ...?› Then a pedestrian moved and she saw the small cat running behind him, apparently giving chase. Her heart thumped suddenly, remembering Ranma's fear which had been revealed to her in China. Spinning back toward the dojo entrance, Akane realized that Kuno and Gosunkugi must have heard the scream as well. They'd be coming out any second, they'd see Ranma, they'd ...

Without pausing for thought, Akane reached for the downspout at the side of the building and ripped it free, pulling the gutter down with it. Her hope was fulfilled as a little water had been standing in the gutter, and she moved underneath to let it fall upon her. She quickly leaned one hand against the building, forcing herself to look as if she hadn't a care in the world.

Kuno and Hikaru both burst out of the building, spying her a second later. "Saotome!" Kuno exclaimed. "We heard that scream! Something frightened you!"

"Don't know what you're talking about," Akane said with a smirk. "I already told you, I ain't scared of nothing."

Kuno looked around angrily. Hikaru followed his gaze, though with greater confusion. Akane pushed herself off the wall, still smirking, then turned and walked away. Behind her, the two boys gave up and reentered the building.

* * *

Hikaru tried not to panic as he thought about tomorrow's deadline, the end of the week Kuno had given him. He had to find Ranma's weak spot, and he had to find it fast! Cautiously he climbed onto the stack of crates, and pulled himself to the top of the wall. Easing over the other side he dangled for a second, then dropped to a heap on the grass below.

His final hope was to perform a ritual right here in the yard of the Tendo home, where Ranma lived. Hikaru had decided that distance might be interfering with the efficacy of his spells. He held a doll in one hand, and stroked his other hand along its rough fibers, muttering, "You will reveal Saotome's weakness to me."

Stealthily the boy crept up to a tree in the yard. With practiced blows he hammered a spike through the doll, pinning it to the tree. He intoned several long chants under his breath.

"Hanachiyo!"

Hikaru's head whipped around at the sound from the house.

"Hanachiyo!"

The boy dove for the engawa, sliding and rolling underneath it, trying not even to breathe. A moment later he heard footsteps on the wood above him.

"Hanachiyo!" Two pairs of feminine legs stepped out into the yard.

More footsteps sounded from above the boy. He nearly fainted upon hearing a voice he identified as Akane's ask, "What's going on?"

One of the voices called back, "Help us find Hanachiyo."

Another said, "I'm taking care of her for a friend. I took my eye off of her for a second, and she vanished!"

Akane stepped down into the yard. "Can you at least tell me what I'm looking for? What is Hanachiyo?"

"She's my friend's cat."

Hikaru saw Akane back up a couple of steps. "A cat! And she's loose out here! Kasumi, we have to find her! You don't ..."

A piercing scream split the air, interrupting her. The girls ran off to the side. Hikaru crept out from his hiding place, then tiptoed to the corner of the house. Seeing nothing he tiptoed up to the next corner. There he beheld a curious sight.

Ranma lay on the ground, unmoving. A cat was sitting on his chest, licking a paw, looking enormously pleased with itself. The other five members of the household were all gathering around. Kasumi scooped the cat up with a cry of "Hanachiyo!"

"What's wrong with him?" Nabiki asked, referring to Ranma and not the cat. The boy was still lying on the ground, seemingly unaware of them.

"It's just foolishness," Genma told them, filling a pail with water. "He's ..."

"He's afraid of cats," Akane said quietly, eyes sliding past the animal in Kasumi's hands and quickly back toward Ranma, motioning to her sister to take it further away from him. "Deathly afraid."

Hikaru stepped back, leaning against the house and fighting not to giggle. He had it! He had it! His prayers had been answered! He knew Saotome's weakness now! Not wishing to risk being caught, he ran back to the other side of the house to retrieve his things, then slipped out the gate as quietly as he could.

Meanwhile, Genma had thrown his pail of water into Ranma's face, changing the boy into Akane's double. "You coward!" the man exclaimed. "Is this how I raised you?"

Ranma took one look at the creature held by Kasumi, and backpedaled until he struck the dojo wall. "Whatcha mean old man! It's your fault in the first place!"

The two of them began a glaring contest. Nabiki said, "We're all still wondering what happened."

Neither Saotome deigned to answer, both being too busy staring the other down. Akane was watching both of them closely. Finally, she chose to speak.

"It's all because of a stupid technique Uncle Saotome tried to train Ranma in. Called the neko-ken."

Genma's head whipped around for a moment. "How the hell'd you know that?"

Akane sighed, giving him a look which expressed her opinion of his intelligence without the need for words. "Because Ranma told me of course. We do talk to each other, you know." Seeing that her friend apparently did not want to talk about it, and Genma was too surprised, she went on, trying to be succinct.

"When Ranma was ten, his father tied him up in fish sausage and shut him up in a pit filled with starving cats."

"Goodness!" Kasumi said, looking down at the cat in her arms.

"How ... how rigorous!" was Soun's contribution.

"Er, yes, well," Genma finally got his mouth unstuck. "Unfortunately the manual I was using contained a horrible trick. The next page said that the technique was too dangerous and risky to be taught, but I didn't read it in time."

"What it _said_," Ranma spoke at last, "was that only an _idiot_ would train someone in it, and that anyone who _did_ try should have his head examined."

"Yes, yes, I'm afraid I fell for the trick," Genma said sorrowfully.

"In other words," snarled Ranma, lashing out with his fist and hitting his father in the head, "you proved that you _are_ an idiot who ought to have his head examined!"

With a snarl of his own, Genma grabbed the cat from Kasumi and thrust it in Ranma's face. Ranma slammed his back into the dojo wall again, trying to get away, but his father pressed the cat against his son's chest. Akane lifted a hand to her mouth, gasping in horror at how Ranma's own father would treat him, backing further away from the sight.

Kasumi studied the sight more clinically. "You know, aversion therapy _is_ supposed to help with phobias." Putting both hands to her mouth, she called loudly, "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!"

Hanachiyo turned his head in her direction, looking interested. A few more cats appeared on the top of the wall. Kasumi walked over and coaxed them into her arms, then strolled back toward the dojo.

Ranma barely noticed, already petrified by the animal pressed against his chest. Kasumi handed the cats to Nabiki, Genma and Soun, who all arranged them on Ranma's body. The boy was whimpering and shaking, his eyes rolling up in his head.

Akane was backing even further away, refusing to look at the scene. She felt terrified for Ranma, remembering the time he had been scared by a single cat in China, the amount of fear which had consumed him. How could her family do this?

Kasumi's voice was as gentle as she could make it. "Ranma-kun? Look at them. They're just cats. They won't hurt you."

There were tears running down Ranma's face, as he stood frozen, nearly comatose. Matching tears were running down Akane's own cheeks. She felt like she couldn't move, almost like she couldn't breathe. She couldn't take it any more!

"_Stop it_!" Akane shouted at the top of her lungs. She fell to her knees. "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" Sobs started to mix in with her yells. "You don't know what you're doing to him! You have to stop! Please! Stop!"

Everyone looked over at Akane, startled, sudden worry showing on her sisters' faces. "Maybe we'd better stop," Nabiki suggested.

Kasumi nodded. They quickly detached the cats from Ranma. Kasumi shooed the new arrivals away, and took Hanachiyo back inside to shut within her bedroom.

Stumbling to her feet, tears still running down her face, Akane lurched over to Ranma's side. "Daddy! Please help me get him inside!"

"Hey! I'm the boy's father!" Genma declared from behind her.

Akane spun around viciously, catching him by surprise with a hard kick that sent him falling back onto his rear. "_You_ stay away from him!" Akane screamed. "_You've_ done enough!"

Turning her back on the shocked man, Akane put her hands under Ranma's shoulders while her father took hold of his ankles. Lifting the boy's unresponsive body between them, they slowly carried him inside the house and up the stairs to his room. Laying him on the floor for a moment, Akane arranged his futon, and then they moved him onto that.

"You can leave us alone now," Akane told her father. "And keep that ... that ... _man_ away."

"Akane ..." Soun said softly.

Akane interrupted. "I don't ... want to hear it. Not right now. Please leave. And keep him away."

Akane left the room long enough to get some hot and cold water. Placing a towel under Ranma's head, she poured enough hot water over him to change him back into a boy, thinking he'd be more comfortable that way. She dipped the towel into the cold water, trying not to get enough on herself to trigger her own curse, then wrung it out and placed it on Ranma's forehead.

"It's okay Ranma. You're safe now," she said quietly.

He moaned softly. "Get 'em off," he whispered hoarsely. "Get 'em off."

Akane ran her fingers gently through his hair. "They're gone Ranma. They can't hurt you now. I won't let them."

Ranma started thrashing. Akane rested a hand on his chest, and he calmed down again. Lifting the towel from his forehead, she wet it again, then wrung the water out. Another moan escaped his lips. Unsure what impulse seized her, Akane quickly bent forward and pressed her lips against his forehead. The moan stopped.

Cheeks flushing pinkly, Akane placed the towel on his brow once more. She was glad that no one had been around to witness her inexplicable act. On the other hand, he did seem to be resting easier now. Akane looked down at Ranma fondly, wishing there was something more she could do.

* * *

"Cats, eh?" Kuno stroked his chin thoughtfully. It was after school the next day, and he was still holding Hikaru in the air by the front of his shirt in preparation to thrash him for not finding Ranma's weakness within the stipulated week. Except it turned out the boy had, spitting out the explanation as hurriedly as he could.

"Yes ... I ... uh ... I ... can't breathe ... down please ..."

"Hmm? Oh, yes." Kuno opened his hand, dropping Hikaru into a heap upon the floor. "Now, how to exploit this revelation?"

Hikaru tugged at the collar of his shirt, still gasping. "We ... we should lure Saotome to a room. One filled with cats. Someplace he can't easily escape."

"Yes, yes. Go on." Kuno was smiling evilly.

Color returning to his face, Hikaru continued thinking aloud. "I have an idea for collecting the cats. A trapdoor in the stage at school dropping him into the room beneath would be _almost_ perfect. Except ..."

"Excellent!" Kuno interrupted. "Make it so!"

"But you ..."

"Seek you to defy me?" Kuno asked dangerously, lifting his bokken in warning.

"You can't come to the school!" Hikaru moaned. "Your probation!"

Kuno lowered the bokken fractionally, then thrust it into the air again. "My quest shall not be stopped by such petty concerns! This is the means by which I shall defeat Saotome! No trouble will arise, for once the fiend is laid low, Akane-kun will be freed, and therefore no complaint will be made! So see to it as you have said!"

"I-I'll need funds to set up the trap. And to buy catnip. To collect the cats."

Kuno pulled out a wad of money. Peeling off several bills of large denomination, he slapped them down into Hikaru's palm. The boy goggled at them.

"Is anything else needed?" Kuno asked.

Hikaru thought about it. "There's a ... a side room. From what I saw, Saotome will be too paralyzed to escape. But ... perhaps it would be best to be certain. If we had something in there even ... even more frightening than cats." His face took on a dreamy look. "Something like a tiger ..."

Kuno scowled. "My twisted sister used to keep a tiger as a pet. Unfortunately I disposed of it and all of her other creatures when I was at last released to return to my home. After all, my sister was no longer there to care for them." He paused in thought. "Perhaps I can get something else. I will meet you there tomorrow immediately after the final bell. Have all of your plans in place."

"But ... but ... won't that be the same time as the final bell at your school?" Hikaru pointed out.

"Bah!" The teenage kendoist brushed this off. "So I will miss a few unnecessary classes. This is far more important."

Unwilling to argue, Hikaru merely nodded his acceptance. Hiding the money in his pocket, the boy left to begin his preparations. There was a great deal to do, and not much time in which to do it.

* * *

Hikaru was pacing back and forth frantically on stage, wearing a Chinese shirt and black pants. He had cut his last class to meet Kuno here, but his conspirator was late. The boy checked his watch again, giving a low moan.

A bark from off to the side drew his attention. Kuno walked in, dragging a couple of leashes attached to ...

"What ... what are ..." Hikaru pointed a shaky finger. "Are those ... dogs?"

Kuno looked back critically at the whining animals. "They are tigers," he announced severely.

"They're dogs!" Hikaru protested. "Wearing tiger masks!"

"They are tigers," said Kuno. "See the stripes."

Hikaru yanked at his hair with both hands. "They're dogs! You painted orange stripes on their black fur!"

Kuno waved this away. "It is no matter. Saotome will see two tigers, and will be paralyzed with fear!"

"He'll see two dogs, and be paralyzed with laughter!" Hikaru wailed.

"So long as he is paralyzed," Kuno responded. He held out the leashes. "Here. Take these and put them where they belong."

Hikaru moaned, seeing his careful plan falling apart, but there was no time left. He hurriedly took the dogs below the stage and settled them into their room, where they promptly lay down and fell asleep. Shaking his head he ran back onto the stage. The ringing of the bell urged him to even greater speed.

Holding a length of rope out to Kuno, he said, "Hurry. Tie me loosely. But make sure I can slip out easily. Then go offstage there." He pointed to stage right. "You'll see two ropes. One is labeled 'trapdoor.' Pull that one to drop Saotome through the trapdoor once he is on the stage. The other is labeled 'weight.' If he doesn't fall in, pull that one to drop a weight on him and knock him in."

Kuno nodded to these instructions, while taking the rope and tying it around Hikaru's body and arms. "Loosely!" the younger boy reminded.

In another part of the school, Ranma and Akane had just reached their shoe lockers. On opening his, Ranma saw a note inside on top of the shoes. Pulling it out, he read, "Ranma, help me! Terrible villains are holding me hostage in the gym! Sincerely, Akane."

"What the hell?!" he said, scratching his head and looking at the girl standing not two meters from him. Holding the note out, he asked, "Here. What do you make of this?"

Akane stepped over beside him and took the paper, glancing over it. She frowned. "Is this some sort of practical joke?"

"Beats me," Ranma replied disdainfully. "Want to check it out?"

"Why not?" she shrugged.

The two of them walked down the hallway together, unhurried. On reaching the gym they had to wait for a few seconds, as the basketball team charged through the doors for practice. As soon as it was clear, they slipped in and looked around.

"Oh Ranma! I'm so happy! You came to rescue me!"

Both of the martial artists turned toward the stage in surprise, eyebrows lifting. They saw someone there tied up with rope, wearing clothing not dissimilar from theirs, though with a white shirt instead of red. Of villains there was no sign.

"Don't you know me?" the figure called in a gratingly high pitched voice. "It's Akane! Come and rescue me!"

Akane growled at the thought of someone impersonating her. Running across the gym she jumped onto the stage, grabbing Hikaru by the front of the shirt and lifting him into the air.

"What ... do you think you are doing?" she demanded angrily. Hikaru nearly fainted in ecstasy at the thought of Akane talking to him.

Moving much more slowly, Ranma finally joined them. "Listen ..." he began.

Hikaru turned to him, sneering. "No! You listen, Saotome! You have fallen into my trap!" He tried to pull his arms out of the ropes to signal, but was unable to free them.

Nonetheless, at the sound of the word "trap" Kuno pulled the rope marked "trapdoor." On stage a trapdoor opened suddenly in the floor. Ranma and Hikaru watched as Akane fell through it.

"Oops," said Hikaru.

Akane yelled from below, "Just what crazy scheme are you up to, Gosunkugi-kun?! Let me out of here!"

"Sorry!" he called down, leaning over the edge. "It was supposed to be Saotome who fell in. But no matter! I prepared another trap!"

At the word "trap" Kuno pulled the other rope. A massive statue of a tanuki fell from above, landing right on Hikaru's back. Both boy and statue tumbled through the open trapdoor and into the room below the stage.

Down in the dim room Akane growled at the boy lying at her feet. "Gosunkugi-kun ...!"

Gasping as if it were his last breath, Hikaru told her, "It-It's all over for me. You can get out over there." Still securely tied, he tried to nod his head in the direction of the door leading into the next room, the one where he had left the dogs asleep.

"You okay Akane?" Ranma called down.

"Yeah, fine!" she answered loudly. "I should be back up in a minute. Wait for me."

Akane turned her face down from the trapdoor, and looked over to the other door she had seen. At that moment some motion flickered in the dim light, drawing her attention. Looking closer, she saw more motion, small figures moving around. Hoping there weren't any rats down here, she moved over to take a closer look.

One of the creatures came into view. Then another. Then another. Akane felt the blood drain from her face. ‹They're cats!› she told herself. ‹Just cats!›

Unfortunately, they didn't look like 'just cats.' Their features were overlaid with something much more demonic. Their tails were writhing snakes. Their claws were scimitars. Their teeth were long fangs, dripping with venom. Their eyes were blood red, glowing, filled with malevolent intelligence. The image was horrifyingly familiar - and then she remembered she had seen something like it before, back in China.

‹But that's how Ranma sees them!› Akane wailed mentally, backing away, heart thumping erratically. She tried to remember how the cats had looked at the house a couple of days ago, only now realizing that she had avoided looking at them. She also remembered how troubled she had felt at the time.

The cats walked toward her, emitting curious meows which Akane heard as evil words in some unknown language. More cats appeared behind them. Akane screamed and fled in the other direction, until she smacked into a wall. She plastered herself against it as tightly as she could, pressing her eyelids together as hard as possible.

Up on stage, Ranma had scowled darkly as Kuno appeared from off to the side. However, all thought of the other boy was forgotten as a spike of pure terror surged through him. He was jumping, beginning to shout the first syllable of Akane's name, even before her scream rang out from below.

He landed beside Akane, pulling her into his arms. She grabbed onto him, his shirt clutched in her fists, trembling violently. Then Ranma heard the first "meow." Slowly, unwillingly, he turned his head. He saw the demons approaching. He pressed back against the wall, hardly breathing, holding Akane even tighter.

Inside her head, Akane was trying to come to grips with what was happening. An endeavor made nearly impossible by the overwhelming terror in which she was drowning. The best her fragmentary thoughts could do at the moment was to remember how her presence inside Ranma's head when he was cursed had given her a matching curse, and to suggest a parallel to being inside his head when he saw the demonic version of the cat in China.

"My fierce tigress!" a voice called from above. "Be you safe?"

Akane's and Ranma's muscles locked up simultaneously when they felt something pressing against their ankles, bodies rubbing against them. More cats gathered around, in that way they have of knowing exactly which persons in the room would most like them to keep their distance. One cat tried to escape the pressure by climbing up the pants legs of the clinging couple.

Everyone in the gym shuddered as twin roars of fury howled out from beneath the stage. The sound went straight into their spines, urging their feet to run. They all flinched back as a tsunami of cats erupted from beneath the stage.

Kuno managed to stay on his feet under that first wave, although he received numerous scratches from the cats who scrambled over and past him. He was forced to take several steps backward.

Two red blurs flew up from beneath the stage, bouncing around almost too fast for the eye to track. Kuno's eyes, however, were well trained, and he identified the first figure as ... "Ranma Saotome!"

The male blur flew right at him, one hand extended in front. The floor erupted at Kuno's feet, flinging him backward. Picking himself back up, he, as well as all of the basketball players, saw that the floor where Kuno had been standing was gone, converted into curling ribbons of wood.

At that moment Kuno staggered forward from a weight which had slammed into his back. Agony erupted around him, and he tried to raise his arms to defend himself. As if in a dream he saw droplets of blood emerging from a myriad of tiny slices appearing in his flesh. He leaped high into the air, spinning around with his bokken, seeing that he had temporarily escaped his attacker.

An attacker whom he identified a moment later as none other than his fierce tigress Akane. Who for some reason, at that moment, reminded him far more strongly of a tigress than she had at any point in the past. She bared her teeth in a growl, lashing out with one hand.

Feeling a draft, Kuno looked down to see that most of his clothing was hanging in tatters. His wounds did not appear to be deep, but they were many, and they were beaded and smeared with blood. He suddenly remembered Ranma and spun around, seeking his adversary.

He was just in time to interpose his bokken between them. This proved ineffective as Ranma swiped out with a hand, and the bokken was instantly transformed into a whisk of many tiny strips of wood. At that moment he was knocked from the stage to the gym floor, having taken his eyes off of Akane again.

Gazing at what was left of his bokken in his hand, Kuno shouted, "How dare you defile such a weapon!" His fury was a sham, however. Though he would not admit it even to himself, fear was the emotion which was uppermost in his mind at that moment. Seeing the two red-shirted figures stalking toward him, equally feral grins on their faces, Kuno waved the remains of his bokken in front of him and then tossed it through the open doors to the outside.

Both Ranma and Akane chased after it, running out of the gym. Kuno staggered over to a bleacher and sat down, tearing off a dangling strip of clothing and dabbing at a few of the deeper scratches.

A few minutes later Nabiki stepped out of the school, looking around frantically, having received an urgent summons. One of her friends ran up and pointed into a tree. "There they are," the girl said.

Nabiki looked up. Ranma and Akane were chasing each other through the branches, their bodies blurring with the speed. Then they paused at some unspoken signal. Ranma reached a foot up to scratch at his head, displaying incredible flexibility, while Akane stood on a branch and stretched her hands up the trunk. As she pulled her hands down, long strips of bark curled off of the tree.

"Any idea what caused this?" Nabiki asked sharply.

The girl shook her head. "What I've been able to find out so far is that one of their classmates, Hikaru Gosunkugi, got them into some room below the stage in the gym. A couple of minutes later a lot of cats were seen jumping out of the hole in the stage and running for their lives. Akane and Ranma jumped out a moment later. They were already like that." She waved her hand at the pair. "They attacked Kuno, tore him up a bit, then ran out here and up into that tree."

Nabiki watched the two in the tree, mildly concerned but noting that they appeared to be in no danger. "Anything you've done other than calling me?"

"Called the police about Kuno being here at the school. I figured you'd want that. Nothing else."

"Good. Maybe this time he'll stay locked up for a while." Her voice grew a shade cooler. "Now, where's Gosunkugi?"

A few minutes later Hikaru looked up at the sound of the door opening. Perhaps someone was finally coming to untie him? His heart dropped into his stomach on seeing Nabiki's face. Her cold, unsmiling face.

"I'm only going to ask you this once, Gosunkugi-kun," she began without preamble. "What did you do to my sister and her fiancé?"

"N-Nothing! I swear!" he pleaded.

"Something happened!" Nabiki snarled. "And I want to know what!"

"I-I-I ... I used some catnip to get a lot of cats to come into the room down here. I was going to drop Saotome through a trapdoor. I expected him to be terrified by the cats, I thought he'd be easy to beat. But Akane fell through instead, and she was scared of them! Then Saotome jumped in after her. And they both went crazy! I don't know why!"

Nabiki gave him a long look, then sighed in disgust. With regard to Ranma, this might have something to do with what they witnessed outside the dojo the other night. Maybe. It didn't explain Akane, though. Still, it was the only clue she had.

Pulling out her cellphone, the girl pressed a button and held it to her ear. A moment later she said, "Hi Kasumi. I need to speak to Uncle Saotome. Would you put him on please?"

A pause, then, "Listen. Ranma and Akane have both gone crazy. They're acting like cats." Another pause. "Yes, Akane too. How should _I_ know? I don't even know why Ranma would! But if you know anything about this, like how to _fix_ it, then get over here. Now!"

Hikaru watched as Nabiki put her phone away, turning to leave. Clearing his throat quickly, he called out, "Um ... please ... could you untie me?" He watched in dismay as she left the room without a backward glance, closing the door behind her.

Back in the room she had already passed through once, Nabiki eyed the sleeping dogs curiously. She then spotted a large bag and decided to examine it. A pungent aroma suggested it was some herb or similar, and remembering what Hikaru had said she realized that this was probably the catnip he had used. Thinking about Akane's and Ranma's current behavior, she decided that there was a bare chance this might be useful, so she lifted the bag and carried it out with her.

* * *

She was trapped. Trapped in a dream of being a cat. Dim sensations came through, scratching an itch with her foot, sharpening her claws, cavorting with a playmate. None of it seemed real, she was barely aware of what "real" even meant.

She felt her mind submerging again, going blank, a suggestion urging her to release control. This feeling had swept over her a few times already. Each time, when her mind started to fade away, she sensed the other presence there with her. As before, now she felt it again. She seized hold of the presence, mentally digging in fingers, refusing to allow herself to be pulled under.

The pressure eased again. Only temporarily, she knew by now. Who am I, she asked herself. This time she chose not to release the other presence, keeping her grip firm. Whatever it was, it was not her, yet it, no, _he_ was here with her.

Who are you? she asked, holding tight.

No answer came in words. But sensations welled up, half formed images. Brief flashes, which broke up and disappeared as quickly as they formed. A kiss in a hospital. A boy, sparring with her in a dojo. His ponytail whipping around and teeth flashing in a grin. Ice skating. Holding someone tight at the bottom of a cliff.

She knew, suddenly and without doubt, that this presence was somehow that same boy. She continued to hold on tightly to him, so she wouldn't be dragged down, even as she wondered what it meant to hold on to something when one did not have any hands. She tried to call to him, Hear me!

Again there was no answer in words. But she sensed response all the same, a feeling of warmth wrapping around her, holding her in turn. She adjusted her own hold, willing him to feel it in return. A sense of gratitude flowed back to her, suggesting that he had felt this.

They continued to give each other support, forcing the darkness to recede slightly, though it resisted all the while. She was in a tree, wind blowing through her hair, the sun warm and wonderful on her face. The scent of the other reached her nose, reassuring in its familiarity. She looked down to see him approaching through the branches, sniffing in her own scent. She sensed his curiosity, his recognition, his ... interest. All of them matching her own.

Then there was someone else in the tree with them. She and the male both turned their attention on the person. The person had the appearance of a matriarch, but ... his scent betrayed him. She and the male both bared their fangs and hissed.

* * *

Genma came running up to the scene, carrying a bag. He stared up in consternation at the two teenagers in the tree, circling each other in the branches, noses lifted as if sniffing the air. He put down the bag and began undoing the knot on top.

"What's happened to them?" Nabiki demanded, marching up.

Genma gave her a brief look. "When Ranma's fear of cats becomes too overwhelming, his only escape is to believe that he himself is a cat. As for your sister, I couldn't say."

"How do we bring them back?"

"Only one thing has ever snapped him out of it," the man proclaimed, opening the bag at last. "An old woman who once lived in our neighborhood." He began pulling clothing out of the bag.

"Her name and address," Nabiki snapped out. "I can arrange to have someone bring her here."

"No," Genma told her. "I'll have to do." He pulled the dress over his head. Reaching into the bag again, he pulled out a wig and covered his bald scalp with it.

"You've _got_ to be kidding," Nabiki suggested.

At that moment a police car pulled up and two officers climbed out. "Damn!" Nabiki swore. "I need to steer them away from this, and I want to talk to them about Kuno anyway." Nodding her head toward the pair in the tree she said, "Whatever's wrong with them, fix it!" Then she hurried off to greet the policemen.

Genma jumped up into the tree. He held out a cattail and shook it enticingly, calling in falsetto, "Here, kitty, kitty."

The two young people facing him both pulled their lips back, baring their teeth. They gave equally angry hisses. Suppressing a nervous tremble, Genma moved closer, continuing to shake the cattail. Then they both leaped.

The spectators on the ground saw Ranma and Akane blur into a rushing whirlwind, surrounding the man dressed as an old woman. Dust, leaves, bits of wood and fabric rose in a cloud. The man came arcing through the air to slam into the ground in a crumpled heap, eyes spinning. Only a few scraps of cloth still clung to his body, and he was bleeding slowly from a multitude of shallow cuts.

The spectators turned their gazes upward again. The tree was ... no longer recognizable as a tree. The trunk ended three meters up, with numerous forlorn strips of wood clinging to its top, and more settling softly through the air to land on the ground. Akane and Ranma were perched atop it, side by side, still hissing at Genma lying on the ground. But only for a moment.

Then they turned together and jumped through the air. They reached the school wall in one bound, before leaping again. With that they were gone.

"Oh ... damn!" Nabiki said, watching this from the gym door where she had just pointed out Kuno to the two police officers. Addressing herself to the policemen, she said, "I've got to go. My sister needs me. See if you can't keep that moron behind bars a little longer this time. Thanks."

With that she took off running. Pausing only long enough to grab the bag of catnip she had dropped, Nabiki ran for the gate, pulling out her cellphone to warn Kasumi in case they headed for home. Once out on the street, she started running up to startled passersby, asking after people who might have noticed two red blurs fly past.

* * *

**Author's note:**

At the end of chapter 12, the Amazons arrived in Nerima - Shampoo, Talcum and Cologne. That was the same day as the end of this chapter, when Akane and Ranma went into the neko-ken state. So at this point the parallel events of chapters 12 and 13 have reached the same point in time.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


	14. Neko Fallout

**Side by Side**  
**By M. Zephyr**

Disclaimer: _Ranma 1/2_ is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

Ranma x Akane. Sequel to _Togetherness_. Alternate universe story in which Ranma and Akane are cursed to change into duplicates of one another.

* * *

**Chapter 14. Neko Fallout**

Nabiki ran out the school gate with the unwieldy bag of catnip thumping hard against her shoulder, then stopped with dismay as she realized that her sister Akane, and Ranma, were already completely out of sight. She looked up and down the street, gnawing at her lower lip in worry. There was not so much as a tiny flash of their red shirts to be seen.

On the other hand there was an elderly man standing nearby, staring into space, with an expression of complete shock and amazement. Nabiki ran up to him, her bow little more than a jerk up and down.

"Hey! Uh ... pardon me. Did you see two teenagers come this way, both of them dressed in red shirts and black pants? Moving really fast?"

The man turned his head slowly to face her, then spluttered, "They jumped up on the fence as if it were nothing. They just jumped up there and kept running. On the _fence_."

Seeing that he was about to expand on this theme, Nabiki interrupted quickly. "Did you see which way they went?" she demanded.

He considered the question before nodding slowly. "Yes, I saw. They turned down the street over there." He pointed. "At the end of the block."

Nabiki looked in the indicated direction, turned back, and gave a slight incline which might have been intended as a bow. She took off again, running as fast as she could.

Those who knew Nabiki, even those who knew her well, would have been surprised at the turn of speed she could manage when she put her mind to it, and would have been even more surprised at her stamina. She carefully cultivated a facade of indolence, hiding how well she kept herself in shape, out of the habit of restricting information until it could be used most profitably.

She wasn't thinking about such things at the moment, however. Her whole attention was giving to tracking down her sister, wondering what had happened to her, why she was acting so strange. Had that idiot Kuno done this to her? What had that fool been doing at the school anyway? She forced the question out of her mind. She couldn't afford to be distracted, not with the trail growing cold. She had to find Akane and make sure her sister wasn't hurt again.

Nabiki stayed on Akane's and Ranma's trail by following the accounts of people who had witnessed them in passing. There was a problem, though. The two younger teens were traveling more quickly than Nabiki could run, even if she didn't have to stop and ask questions. But the witnesses only stared after the pair for so long before continuing on about their own business. As block after block fell behind her, it grew harder to find pedestrians who had seen the two and who knew which way they had gone. Nabiki was rapidly running out of time in her pursuit.

Two small children holding the hands of their frenzied mother both turned and pointed down a nearby alley when asked about a boy and a girl wearing red shirts and black pants. Nabiki thanked them and ran into the alley, stopping to look around quickly as she emerged at the other end. She paused a little longer on realizing that she was staring at the Ono Clinic, barely more than a stone's throw down the road on the other side of the street.

Nabiki perfunctorily asked a few passing people about Akane and Ranma, receiving shrugs in reply. She bit her lip briefly before deciding to take the time to look in the clinic. After all, it was a destination of sorts, a place where Akane might feel safe, even in her current condition. Maybe she had been heading there all along. Maybe Akane had realized on some level that she needed medical help and come looking for it. In any case, Nabiki decided it was worth checking.

Clutching these thoughts as straws of comfort, she hurriedly entered the clinic, calling out Tofu's name before the door finished closing behind her. He emerged from the back, startled to see Nabiki Tendo looking, if not quite distraught, at least unsettled and out of breath.

"What's wrong?" he asked, stepping quickly forward and looking her over with a show of professional concern. "Are you injured? Ill?"

Nabiki shook her head. "Not me. Ranma and Akane. Have you seen them?"

The doctor gave his own negative head shake. "Should I have? Is one of them hurt?"

Nabiki sighed heavily, sagging with disappointment. She resisted the temptation to pull at her hair. "I'd hoped they were here. I lost their trail up the street."

Tofu relaxed, his face stretching into a smile. "You lost them? You mean they ran off and left you behind. Well, Nabiki, I'm afraid you'll have to take your game ..."

"It's not a game!" she snapped angrily. "This is serious. They seem to think they're cats. No!" She held up a hand, forestalling the interruption forming on his lips. "Let me tell you what I know first. Okay?"

The middle Tendo sister rapidly outlined recent events; the discovery of Ranma's fear of cats, how he and Akane had been trapped in a room with a number of cats, how when they emerged they had done a great deal of damage, appearing to be able to cut things with their bare hands. She described their behavior, climbing a tree, ignoring her, hissing at Ranma's father, and Genma's description of Ranma sometimes retreating into catlike behavior.

"Which doesn't explain why Akane's behaving the same way," Nabiki finished.

Tofu tapped his chin, making a thoughtful sound to indicate that he understood the problem but had nothing to suggest. He didn't care to speculate in the absence of observation. "And you think they're around here somewhere?" he asked, returning to the reason she was here.

Nabiki nodded wearily. "They ran off, very fast. I was able to track them for a bit, from people who saw them pass by. They seemed to be heading this way, and like I said, I lost the trail near here. And your clinic is someplace that Akane, at least, knows fairly well."

Tofu murmured his agreement. "Well, let's have a look around. I haven't seen them, but I suppose they might have slipped in."

The two missing teenagers obviously weren't in the waiting room where they currently stood. A quick examination of the examination rooms, Tofu's office, the receptionist's office, the file room, the restroom and the supply closet turned up nothing. Tofu opened the back door, but no one was in evidence in the alley behind. He turned his gaze thoughtfully to the windows above.

"Come along," Tofu told the girl beside him. He stepped outside and made his way around the corner to the staircase on the side of the building. Mounting the steps quickly, he tested the door to the apartment above the clinic, finding it securely shut. The windows to either side also appeared to be closed.

"Should we check the windows on the other sides?" Nabiki asked.

"Not just yet," Tofu replied, considering the next flight of stairs. "Let's go the rest of the way up first." He started up the stairs rapidly, leaving the girl to follow or not as she would.

"The roof?" Nabiki asked, then shrugged as this was obviously his destination. Tofu was already at the top of the stairs and really, it seemed as likely a place as anywhere else.

When her head emerged above the edge, Nabiki stopped in surprise. The entire roof was covered in leaves, dozens of different species of plants evident at a glance.

"What _is_ this?" she asked.

"My garden," the doctor replied distractedly. "Many of the herbal remedies I prescribe aren't available at the local apothecary, you know. Where did you think I get the ingredients?"

"Never thought about it, I suppose," Nabiki admitted, finally joining him on the roof.

Much to Nabiki's relief, it didn't take them long to find the missing pair. Ranma and Akane were lying on a bed of some species of moss, underneath a table upon which other plants were growing in long trays. Akane was on her side, curled up with her face tucked under one arm. Ranma lay wrapped around her, his nose buried in her neck.

Unable to resist the cute image they presented, Nabiki pulled out a camera and snapped a picture. She justified the shot to herself with the promise that no one else would see it, other than Kasumi, and possibly Akane and Ranma as well. Provided she could feel confident that they wouldn't go nuts on her.

Putting the camera away, she studied the two closely, amusement subsiding. "They seem ... more comfortable with each other," she said thoughtfully. "You think we're seeing how they really feel, underneath? Or is it just because of ... whatever happened to them?"

"Hard to say," Tofu replied distractedly. He was examining the flow of chi in their bodies, looking for signs of any obvious gross disruptions. That _something_ was affecting their chi was immediately evident, but their life force appeared still to be fundamentally human, which was definitely a relief.

While in this perceptive mode, the doctor again noticed the red string he had spotted on a previous occasion. It still ran between the smallest fingers of the left hands of each of the two youngsters. Except that the word "string" was now a misnomer. A word such as "yarn" or "twine" suggested itself instead. Looking closer, he perceived the presence of a curious thread of gold running along its length. He was deeply puzzled, wondering what this might portend.

While Doctor Tofu was occupied with his examination, Nabiki was trying to deal with the situation. She bent down to crawl under the table, but Ranma lifted his head and growled at her. It wasn't a particularly threatening growl - it involved no baring of teeth - but she backed up hastily all the same. Regaining her feet, she suddenly realized that she'd given way to Ranma, not a precedent she wanted to encourage. Rather than let him think he'd gotten the better of her, Nabiki put her hands on her hips and gave the boy her best glare, pretending that she'd meant to retreat. He just settled his head back down, ignoring her.

Feeling aggrieved and out of sorts, Nabiki released some stress by commenting snarkily, "I suppose we should be thankful that they both still have their pants on." Doctor Tofu didn't answer, which just made her feel all the more that the situation was out of her control. She didn't like that one little bit. She remembered that she still had the catnip with her and it occurred to her that she could use this to entice them out from under the table.

Setting the bag down at her feet, she untied it and extracted some of the catnip, crushing it between her fingers. Nabiki waved her hand toward the two under the table. Both heads came up with alacrity, sniffing the air with interest.

"What was that?" Tofu inquired, returning to awareness and replaying her recent comment. "Their pants?" He ran a hand through his hair. "Yes, I suppose we should be thankful for that. I can't know yet how much awareness they have, or how much their current mental processes match the animal-like behavior you described . It would be unfortunate if they lost all social inhibitions and acted as one might expect of two animals. I doubt you're ready to be an aunt, yet."

As he spoke, Ranma and Akane were getting up from their prone positions onto all fours. Belatedly, Tofu noticed what Nabiki was doing. "What is that? Ah, Nabiki-chan, that isn't catnip, is it?"

She looked up at him. "Yeah. I thought it might get them out from under the table."

Tofu took a deep breath, wincing in concern. "Bring them out, yes. Plus get them intoxicated, and who knows what else. Weren't you just worrying about them keeping their pants on?"

Nabiki turned around in sudden alarm as she felt the bag leave her possession, to find Ranma and Akane pawing at its contents. They were rubbing their faces in it, while making happy little meows and purring sounds. "Oh! Oh, ah ... um ... so what should we do?"

The doctor studied the pair for several seconds. The two teens batted at the bag, spreading the catnip over the roof around them. He smiled and shrugged, suggesting, "Why don't we try an old home remedy for bringing someone back to himself?"

Tofu walked over to a hose he used for the garden and turned on the tap, filling a pail which sat nearby. On turning around he saw the two catlike teens stop rolling in the catnip and bound up to their feet. They sniffed at each other's faces, rubbing their cheeks together. Then Akane aimed a playful swipe at Ranma's nose, before she took off running on all fours. Ranma gave chase, close behind.

They circled the roof a couple of times, knocking over several plants. Timing his move carefully, Tofu threw the water in the pail at the pair. It caught both Ranma and Akane full in the face. They reared back, startled, and switched genders.

Slowly, in stages, the two cursed teens stood up. They looked around themselves, their expressions showing disorientation and confusion.

Tofu set the pail down, his eyes on his patients. "Do you know where you are?" he asked gently.

"I don't ... This can't be ... your clinic, can it?" Akane asked, in a dubious baritone.

"Yes it is," he told her with a smile. "Welcome to my rooftop garden. Do you remember how you got here?"

Akane lifted a hand to her head. "I ... Yes. No. It ... I was a cat? No, that's not possible. ... It's like a dream. I seem to remember. Some of it. But what I remember is impossible. Ranma ... you were there. What ... happened to me? To us?"

The doctor turned to the girl, reminding himself that the boy to whom he'd just spoken was Akane, and this was Ranma. "How about you?"

Ranma, looking troubled, crossed his arms over his breasts. "Like Akane said. It's ... weird. Like part of me was there. But I didn't really know who I was. A dream, yeah." He shook his head, saying, almost to himself, "Not like before."

"Before?" Tofu prompted.

"It's happened to me before," Ranma confessed. "But I was never able to remember anything. This time ..." He shook his head again.

Nabiki pulled out her phone to call Kasumi, in order to reassure her elder sister that the pair appeared to be all right. While she did that, Doctor Tofu herded the distracted teens toward the stairs, suggesting in a professionally calm and soothing voice, "Why don't we go inside so that I can examine the two of you in comfort? Mine, if not yours. You can tell me the rest there."

Down in the examination room, Tofu provided hot water to reverse their curses, then took his time looking over his two patients. Neither was aware that his examination was more than merely physical. They were still too confused to notice his eyes go out of focus as he studied their auras. The young doctor was relieved to find that their chi had settled back into fully human patterns, the disruptions he'd observed up on the roof gone as if they'd never existed. The red yarn was still present, however, and the gold thread within it as well, both as vibrant as before.

"You both appear to be as remarkably healthy as ever," Tofu told them. "However ..." He cast an eye over their abstracted attitudes. "Perhaps you'd like to rest for a while before we discuss the matter?"

"Yes, please," Akane whispered and Ranma nodded his agreement. Tofu suggested that they lie down on the two examination tables, Akane on the one in the middle of the room, and Ranma on the bed against the wall. He left them there, assuring the two teens that he would be back in a while, and herding the protesting Nabiki out in front of him.

When it became clear to Nabiki that Tofu had no intention of letting her disturb his patients, she grumpily decided to make the best of the delay and return to school. It had occurred to her that all three of them had left their school bags behind. Extracting a promise from Tofu that he would wait for her before interrogating the two, Nabiki hurried off.

Akane, listening to the argument, heard Nabiki leave and then the sound of another door shutting, which she assumed was Doctor Tofu going into his office. She called out softly, "Ranma?"

He responded with an interrogative "Hmm?".

Akane took that as encouragement to continue. "Is that what the neko-ken is like? That you told me about in China?"

He sighed and rolled over on his elbow to face her. "Dunno. Like I told the doc, I've never been able to remember anything before. This time I could. At least some of it. But it does seem a lot like a dream."

"Yeah," Akane agreed. "It was like ... I was acting like ... it was like there was something telling me how I should act. Not telling me. Controlling me. Well, not that, either. I don't know how to say it. But I was still me. Except, I didn't know _who_ I was."

Ranma chuckled. "That came out pretty confused. But I know what you mean." Lying back down, he put his hands behind his head, gazing at the ceiling. "Aren't we supposed to be resting?"

"Mm-hmm," she admitted, still looking his way and thinking hard.

A minute passed in silence.

"Ranma?" Akane called again.

"Rest," he said.

"I don't really need to," she told him. "I feel fine. I'm just trying to think things through. Do you think it was because of China?"

"Do I think what was because of China?" he asked, curious.

"Dummy. The reason I went into the neko-ken too. At least I guess I did. Do you remember the time that cat scared you in China? While I was in your head?"

"Oh. Yeah," Ranma said, remembering now. "Do you really think you might have picked up the neko-ken from me because of _that_?"

"I think so," Akane declared slowly. "When I saw the cat that time, with your eyes, it looked strange. Like a monster. When I saw the cats today, they looked the same way. It was pretty scary. Um, downright terrifying, really."

Ranma flipped over, resting his chin on the backs of his hands. "You're probably right then. Monsters, yeah. That's a pretty fair description of how they look to me."

"It's probably not a one time thing, then," sighed Akane.

"Guess not," agreed Ranma.

Silence reigned again. Akane thought over the now dreamlike conviction she had possessed, that she had felt Ranma's presence in her mind. That holding on to that presence had helped her to resist being pulled down into some dark, unaware state. She remembered how she had seemed to commune with him as she ran. The shared feeling between them that they would not be left in peace at the place identified as "home." Then the image of the clinic arising as a place where she might feel safe, and a sense of agreement which followed.

It seemed so vague and, well, like a dream. Surely it was only her imagination that she had been sensing things from Ranma in her mind. Nothing so concrete as words, perhaps, but ... no. No. It was just a silly idea. She certainly wasn't going to ask Ranma about it and sound like a fool.

Hesitantly, feeling ridiculous, telling herself she really _was_ a fool, she tried to touch Ranma inside her mind. Tried to find that contact she half remembered feeling. Tried to sense him. Tried to get him to sense her.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Akane gave up in disgust, calling herself an idiot.

Over on his own bed, Ranma was privately telling himself he was an idiot for trying to reach Akane with his thoughts. Of _course_ it had only been his imagination. Thinking that he had felt Akane, that holding to her had somehow kept him from sinking into mindlessness, was just foolishness.

* * *

By the time Tofu and Nabiki returned, Ranma was as ready as he was likely to get to talk about it. He started by telling the doctor, as carefully as he could, the training he had received from his father for the neko-ken. He also described what he could remember of previous incidents. Tofu confined himself to a grimace and an unhappy shake of his head. Nabiki's opinions were hidden behind the cool mask she wore.

Akane took up the story when Ranma fell silent. "I don't know why, but one of our classmates decided to set up this elaborate trap for Ranma. He left a note in Ranma's locker, supposedly from me, saying that I needed his help in the gym."

"That's not what it said," Ranma protested, interrupting her narrative. "It said you were being held hostage."

"That's not important," Akane replied, irritated. She turned her shoulder to him, focusing on Tofu. "The important thing is that I was at the locker with Ranma and I knew I hadn't sent the note. So I went with him, and the stupid trap caught me instead of Ranma. I ended up in a room under the stage, and it was filled with cats. I think, no, I'm certain that they were just ordinary cats. But they looked ... like demons. They were ... really, really scary. I tried to get away, but there was nowhere to go."

Ranma snorted with disgust then said, "I heard her scream, so I jumped in." He chose not to mention that the way he remembered it, he was already jumping by the time she screamed. After all, that didn't make any sense, so going cat afterward was probably just screwing with his head - he'd probably jumped the instant Akane screamed. Ranma added, "Of course, as soon as I got down there, I was stuck in the room with the cats too. And, um, neither of us could get away."

"And from what you said of the neko-ken," Tofu concluded, "if you can't escape the fear, you come to believe that you're a cat? And that's what happened today?"

"To me, yeah," Ranma said. "But why Akane?"

Akane's earlier suggestion that it happened because of seeing the cat in China seemed pretty feeble to Ranma. Puzzled and not stopping to think, he turned to her and asked, "Your dad never trained you in the neko-ken, did he?"

Akane shook her head, and Nabiki added a scornful, "He's not that stupid."

Ignoring the older girl, Ranma asked Akane, "You weren't afraid of cats before?"

Akane shook her head again. "No. I was never afraid of cats before Ch... uh, before I met you."

"Well, there is the curse you passed on to her," Nabiki suggested uncertainly, "when you kissed her and woke her from the coma. Maybe this is just another part of that? I mean, we don't know why she got your Jusenkyo curse, so ..." She shook her head. "And then there was the other stuff you could do. Both of you reduced a tree to wood shavings!"

"That much, at least, I think I can explain," Tofu said. "When I examined you on the roof, I detected some unusual alterations in the chi flowing through your bodies. It was still mostly as one would expect for a human, but ... there were some unique differences. I suspect those differences explain this ability to carve things up. There were probably other differences as well."

"Smell," Akane said instantly. "In the dream ... well, of course it wasn't a dream, but anyway, I could smell things a lot better than normal. I mean, my nose worked better, or something."

"So what happened next?" Tofu inquired. "What do you remember after you succumbed to the fear?"

Akane looked at Ranma. Ranma looked at Akane. Akane frowned. "I ... I don't know. I don't think I remember anything at first. It was like ... it was like I was asleep in my own head. But then I ... it felt like a dream. It didn't seem real, and I don't remember everything, but I seem to remember some of it."

Her frown deepened. "It was like when Ranma started teaching me to float. I kept sinking. Then pulling myself back up. It was hard to stay above the surface, aware of what was happening. Almost like something was trying to pull me under."

Ranma glanced her way, eyebrows raised. "That's a pretty good description of how it was for me. In fact, it's a lot better than I could've tried to put it. The strange thing is, the times before, I never felt anything like that stuff. I never remembered anything."

Tofu nodded. "What _do_ you remember? About what you did?"

Both teens sat there in thought. Ranma finally shook his head and answered, "Not much. Next thing I remember is being in a tree. Were we in a tree?"

"Yep," confirmed Nabiki. "Though I wouldn't call it a tree any longer. Not after you two finished shredding it."

Akane winced. "I seem to remember that. I think I was unhappy about something. Or someone."

"That would be Uncle Saotome," Nabiki said. Akane winced again, as Nabiki cheerfully added, "He'll live though. He wasn't bleeding _that_ badly. Unfortunately." The last word was muttered under her breath.

Ranma nodded. "Wouldn't be the first time he got scratched up when I was in that state. Pretty much what he deserves, if you ask me. I think we ran off after that."

Nabiki gave her own nod. Tofu asked, "Any idea why, or how, you ended up on the roof of my clinic?"

Akane hesitantly suggested, "I seem to remember running toward someplace ... safe? That's how I think I thought of it, anyway. I wanted to be somewhere we - I - would be left alone. I guess Ranma followed me."

"Why the roof?" Nabiki wondered aloud.

"I think the roof was my idea," Ranma put in. "Something about being more comfortable higher up."

"Okaaay," she replied. "Now for the sixty-four million yen question. Why were you in the position in which we found you?"

Doctor Tofu frowned at the older girl. "I don't think we really need to know about that. It's not polite to tease."

"Wh-wh-what position were we in?" Akane asked, red-faced and stammering. Her eyes were wide in something like horror. Ranma did a better job of hiding his reaction, but his face was also blazing.

"Nothing very risqué," Tofu reassured them. "You were just lying down beside each other, under a table." A severe glance from the man made Nabiki swallow her next sentence, striving to appear contrite.

"Which brings us up to the present," the doctor concluded briskly. "I splashed you with water and your Jusenkyo curses activated. Either the shock of an unexpected wetting or the curse on its own, or a combination of the two, brought you both back to normal."

"So what do we tell the rest of the family?" Nabiki asked worriedly, addressing Doctor Tofu more than the other two. "Do you really think it was what I said earlier? That Akane somehow ... caught this neko-ken thing, the same time she got the curse from Ranma? Like they were both some kind of disease?"

"At least I didn't catch his dragon's whisker thing." Akane muttered.

"What was that?" Tofu asked her, distracted.

Akane looked down, shaking her head. "Nothing important."

Tofu gazed at her a moment longer before turning back to Nabiki. He shrugged and said, "Honestly, I don't know. Your explanation is as good as any for now, I suppose. Or at least no worse."

He didn't feel ready, yet, to discuss the bond he observed between the two teenagers, even though he thought it might be related to the fact that Akane shared Ranma's curse and the neko-ken. For one thing, he had no idea whether that bond was the cause of those two conditions, or whether it was itself another symptom of something yet unknown. In any event, Tofu strongly felt that the young couple were already sufficiently troubled by the pressure their fathers were bringing to bear on them, trying to push them together. There was no need to provide them with additional worries.

Akane and Ranma, on the other hand, were convinced that the shared neko-ken, like the curse, arose from the experience of shared consciousness in China. Akane was further convinced that the episode with the cat in China had done it, although Ranma had his doubts. Like Tofu, they preferred to keep their opinions secret and let Nabiki's suggestion stand as the official explanation. No matter how little it truly explained.

Nabiki now turned to her sister and potential brother-in-law with a smirk. "You realize, don't you, our fathers are going to see this new development as a sure sign that the two of you are meant to be together. I know you don't want us putting pressure on you, but I have to admit, I'm having trouble not seeing it that way myself."

Both of them made faces at her. Akane then turned to Doctor Tofu and inquired, "Is there anything else you need to know? Or need to tell us? Because if you want to know the truth, I'd like to go home, bury my face in my pillow, and freak out for a while."

"We have martial arts practice this afternoon," Ranma reminded her.

"Even after all this?" Akane protested.

"Of course," he said, sounding scandalized at the implication of canceling practice, almost as if she had suggested defying a law of nature. "Besides, that'll take your mind off everything. Lots better than hiding alone in your room!"

Akane shrugged, agreeing that he had a point, though exhibiting little enthusiasm.

Tofu smiled and told them, "I think that's all for now. I'll see what I can do about digging up more information on the neko-ken. Who knows, there may be literature out there on the subject of curing it, or at the very least, other side effects we need to watch out for. In the meantime I'd, uh, suggest avoiding cats."

Ranma snorted. "Believe me, I try."

Akane grimaced, saying, "I suppose I'd better try from now on as well."

With that, the three younger people stood and exchanged bows with the doctor, then left.

* * *

Kasumi met the three of them at the door, hugging Akane fiercely and then holding her at arms length to examine her younger sister and convince herself that the girl was all right. She then demanded that they tell her what had happened. In the middle of the explanation the two fathers arrived, Genma walking slowly with his skin a patchwork of Band-Aids, leaning on Soun. They of course also wanted to know about the events Genma hadn't seen, requiring Ranma, Akane and Nabiki to start over again from the beginning.

When they reached the part about being trapped under the stage, and informed everyone that they didn't remember the next part very well other then believing themselves to be cats, Soun interrupted. "You thought you were cats?" he inquired in disbelief.

"Er, yes," Ranma replied briefly. "So anyway, I guess that we managed to break out ..."

"By thinking you were cats?" Soun asked, struggling to understand.

"Uh huh," Ranma answered, rolling his eyes upward. "The next thing I knew we were in a tree and ..."

"Because you thought you were a cat," Soun stated heavily, to clarify the point.

"Yes, daddy," Akane said this time, seeing that Ranma was getting fed up with the interruptions. "We thought we were cats."

"You thought you were a cat, too, daughter?"

"Yes, daddy." There was a touch of exasperation in the answer.

"Why?"

Genma cleared his throat. "That's, ah, the way the neko-ken works, as it turned out. The practitioner thinks he, or apparently she, is a cat, and fights with a cat's ferocity. Ranma is very nearly unbeatable in that state ... if he could only remember who he's supposed to be fighting." He gave his son a dirty look, since he was suffering a considerable amount of stinging pain from his various cuts.

Soun turned to his old friend, the very picture of perplexity. "But you taught that technique to Ranma. Why did Akane think that _she_ was a cat?"

Genma shrugged, having no clue. Nabiki answered with the possibility they had discussed earlier at the clinic, hoping to settle her father somewhat by invoking medical authority. "Akane and Ranma ran off after cutting up Uncle Saotome. They ended up at the Ono Clinic. Doctor Tofu thinks that this neko-ken thing was probably transferred to Akane from Ranma at the same time as the Jusenkyo curse. At the hospital that day. When he kissed her." She smirked as the two younger teens blushed.

"Does Doctor Tofu think he's a cat?" Soun asked.

Everyone else rolled their eyes this time. "No, father," Nabiki said patiently. "But he was at the clinic and observed their behavior, before helping to bring them back to themselves. He didn't seem too alarmed."

"So let me see if I have this straight," Soun Tendo was saying. Ranma eyed him hopefully "The neko-ken training made you afraid of cats. And if you become too frightened, you believe you _are_ a cat."

"Yes," Ranma replied wearily, yet happy that the man seemed to have it at last.

"But why does it happen to my daughter?"

Akane barely kept herself from screaming in frustration, while Ranma slapped his palm over his face. "We - don't - know, dad," she told him one more time. "Like Nabiki said, we _think_ it has something to do with the magic that gave me a Jusenkyo curse. When Ranma woke me from my coma. This neko-ken thing must be some type of curse as well, and it got transferred to me also."

Soun shook his head in confusion, failing to understand. "But that was because Ranma's curse made him look like you. This cat business has nothing to do with you."

Nabiki opened her mouth, then closed it again. She realized she couldn't think of a different way to phrase it which would make any more sense.

Genma, already irritable due to his injuries, had had enough. He spoke witheringly. "Look, Tendo, does the _how_ really matter? Forget about how. It's obviously fate. Your daughter shares this little issue with my son, and I'd say that's just one more sign that they belong together. It's obvious that they're meant to get married."

"Would you just shut up about all that marriage crap?" Ranma demanded, picking up a pitcher off the table and dumping the contents all over his father. "It ain't fate. The neko-ken is just a martial arts technique, or maybe some kind of magic, or maybe something that affects our chi. But whatever it is, it ain't fate."

Soun wished he had a cigarette. They always helped him think more clearly, but somehow he'd already lost the pack he'd only just bought that morning. "Now don't be hasty, son. The fact that the two of you share this must mean something, and ..." He nodded his head slowly. "I'm inclined to agree with your father about what it means."

Soun stood up and began to pace, his bare feet making not a whisper of sound on the tatami mats. He was silent for a minute or two, before muttering, "Yes, yes. Clearly they were meant to share everything." He was silent for another minute before he paused, thumb and forefinger of one hand twisting the end of his mustache.

"All right, let me see if I have this straight now." He ignored the collective groans. "Ranma has this ... this cat thing because his father trained him in a technique called the neko-ken. Which didn't turn out as expected, because my old pal Saotome neglected to read the next page." He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Genma, who tried to chuckle nervously, although it emerged from the bear's mouth as sort of a cough.

"Thought I'd forgot that bit, didn't you," Soun said softly. He then went on, addressing the entire room. "Now my darling Akane has caught this cat thing because Ranma had it, and he kissed her, and they are fated to share everything, good or bad. If Ranma hadn't had it, then Akane wouldn't either." He stopped speaking and nodded decisively, then turned and left the room so abruptly that those who remained could almost hear the sound of the air filling the space where he'd stood.

Before anyone could move, or even recover from their surprise, he returned - carrying a naginata in both hands. A small gleam of light glittered murderously over the sharpened blade at its end. In a voice of calm reason, he addressed his old friend. "Now, Saotome-kun, I'd like to discuss with you your decision to train Ranma in this technique. And the intermittent insanity it causes, which my Akane now shares."

Genma's eyes widened with terror, backing up hastily. The Band-Aid covered panda bear held up a sign, which read, "Come on, Tendo. Let's not be hasty."

"I have no intention of being hasty," Soun answered grimly, advancing. "I intend to carve you into panda steaks quite slowly and deliberately."

The bear back-pedaled toward the open shoji while the other man kept pace. With each step the two moved a little more quickly. As soon as Genma's foot struck the engawa, he spun and ran, Soun hot on his heels. A moment later the pair disappeared from view.

Several minutes of silence ensued, broken finally by Kasumi.

"So. When one of you is in this neko-ken state, how can we help?" she asked in a practical tone.

"Invest in an oversized scratching post?" Nabiki suggested with a grin. Kasumi quelled her with a glance, and the middle sister gave a shrug, half apology, half dismissive.

Ignoring the short-haired girl, Ranma offered, "Every other time I've freaked out like that, when I came back to normal I seemed to be waking up. Because I was asleep. I mean, I must've fallen asleep, and when I woke up, I was me again."

Kasumi gave a small frown. "Waiting for you to fall asleep hardly seems ideal."

Speaking more seriously this time, Nabiki volunteered the suggestion, "Doctor Tofu got them out of it by dousing them with water."

Kasumi's expression grew thoughtful, as she considered this. "And it worked?" she inquired.

"Yep," replied Nabiki cheerfully. "Triggered their curses of course, but they were human again. Tofu wasn't sure if it was the shock of getting soaked, or the activation of the curses, but whichever it was it did the trick."

The oldest sister turned toward the boy on her left. "Hmm. Ranma-kun, have you ever entered this neko-ken state while you were in female form?"

Ranma's scowl had slowly been growing deeper, expressing his frustration with a subject he didn't enjoy discussing at the best of times. Standing, he announced in a brittle voice, "If you'll excuse us, Akane and I still got our training to do." He turned toward the youngest sister. "C'mon. I'll meet you out in the dojo."

Akane rose from her seat, tired of the conversation as well, and more than eager to move on to her martial arts training and put the uncomfortable topic behind her. Her sisters watched her leave with troubled expressions.

Then Nabiki turned to Kasumi, while pulling a camera out of her bag, and began to describe things she had left out while the fathers were present.

* * *

Ranma was distracted as he entered the changing room, his thoughts taken up by rehashing the afternoon's events. He'd been able to push it out of his mind while he'd been training Akane, but now his mind began gnawing at it again. Were there going to be any new surprises coming from the time they'd spent together in China? First their shared curses, then the neko-ken. What would be next? He recalled Akane's mutter about the dragon's whisker, in the clinic, and a reluctant smile touched his lips. It was a darn good thing they didn't share that one, since they had only one dragon's whisker to control the thing.

Pulling off his shirt, the young man turned his eyes toward the ceiling, toward Akane's bedroom. She'd be there now, having bathed before him. How had she, or her spirit, come to be in his head during those two memorable weeks, leaving these links between them? Was there really some Fate which had drawn them together? He shook his head, sighing over the futility of asking such questions.

He dumped his clothes into the laundry, then slid open the door to the inner room, and stepped inside, bathing supplies in hand. Walking quickly over to the stool, Ranma failed to notice that he left the door ajar, and further failed to notice the small shape which slid bonelessly through the narrow opening. Seating himself, he poured a pail of water over his head, transforming into a girl.

With the soap worked to a lather, Ranma was preparing to wash himself when he heard a small sound from behind, a sound which made him stiffen in apprehension. Trembling, he slowly turned, seeking the source of the noise. Another "meow" emerged from the creature's throat at the same moment his eyes filled with the sight of the cat which had followed him into the room. Yelping in horror, Ranma jumped up, knocking the stool aside and running to the opposite side of the furo. The cat chased him, calling out with a loud, demanding cry, terrifying him even further.

Upstairs in her room, dressed once more in black slacks and a white Chinese shirt, Akane's head shot up, eyes startled. Fear. Terrible fear. But why? There was nothing here, nothing to be afraid of. Irrationally, she wondered if Ranma was all right. Akane hesitated for several long seconds, telling herself she was being foolish, but then decided there was no harm in checking on Ranma. She'd see that he was fine and that would be that.

Her feet sped down the stairs, a ghostly - possibly only imagined - terror pulling her forward at an increasing rate. She never even once thought about her destination, instinct drawing her onward.

Akane ran into the changing room. Without a moment's hesitation, not even considering what she might see or Ranma's probable reaction, she yanked open the door to the inner room. Then she caught sight of her own face, frozen in a rictus of fear, as Ranma backed against the side of the furo. Akane froze herself, trembling, her eyes taking in the cat facing Ranma, its back to her. The cat jumped, straight at Ranma.

Attempting to scramble backward, he only succeeded in tripping over the furo's side. He fell into the water with an enormous splash. The cat, already in midair and unable to turn aside, fell in with him. When it vanished from view, Akane tried to calm her racing heart so that she could go find her father, or Ranma's. One of the men would be needed to remove the animal before Ranma went into the neko-ken again.

Before she could move, Ranma surged upward out of the water, his chest showing that he was clearly male. Luckily he stopped halfway, the lower regions still submerged. A moment later another figure shot up out of the water. Her chest, as bare as Ranma's, established her female gender beyond any doubt. Several seconds passed in shock, long enough for the girl to smile, before Ranma and Akane simultaneously identified her.

"Sham... Shampoo?" Ranma asked nervously, trying to confirm that his eyes were not playing tricks. He suddenly remembered what the Chinese girl had come to do last time and his gaze snapped up to meet Akane's, aware in that moment of her presence. He recognized the narrowing of Akane's eyes and as she took a step forward, he gave a quick, sharp chop of his hand off to the side. Puzzled, but still angry, Akane paused.

Meanwhile, pleased with the recognition, Shampoo's smile grew even wider. Throwing herself forward, she sang out a joyful "Nihao, airen!" and wrapped both arms around the boy in a tight hug.

That was too much for Akane. Her temper boiled over, and she started forward again. Ranma caught her eye and waved her away, moving his lips in exaggerated if silent enunciation over Shampoo's back, telling Akane to get out.

Akane did stop, her eyes wide with pain and amazement, unable to believe that he wanted her to leave him alone to cuddle with that Chinese hussy. Her expression narrowed dangerously, her lips drawing back in a snarl, her hands clenching into fists of rage.

Ranma looked up at the ceiling, praying for strength. Catching her gaze again, he began to signal, rapidly moving his hand back and forth - pointing at Akane, then pointing at himself, then holding up one finger, over and over.

At last Akane got it. Shampoo still didn't know they were two people, and Ranma didn't want her to know. She almost went in to pull the tramp off Ranma anyway, but he shook his head at her again. Akane decided that if that was what he wanted, then she wanted nothing to do with him anyway. With one final glare at her putative fiancé - and did she have a word or two in mind to say the next time they were alone together - the Japanese girl stepped back behind the door, out of sight. She went no further, though, and listened carefully.

Not having the slightest clue as to the thoughts with which Akane was currently entertaining herself, Ranma heaved a sigh of relief that she had decided to act rationally. He then looked down uncomfortably at the nude girl wrapped around him, keeping his eyes squarely on her face, trying to figure out how to free himself of her grip. Squirming really didn't help, bringing parts of his body that weren't normally so evident into contact with parts of her body that were not ... He tried to hold himself stiffly aloof. Stiff, yeah, that he could manage. Embarrassed by the gallant reflex, he stammered nervously, "So, uh, Shampoo. I thought you went back to China."

The purple-haired Amazon raised her face from his chest to smile at him sunnily. "Shampoo remember. Give airen Kiss of Marriage. So come back, reach Tokyo last night. Now we go home and have big ceremony, yes?" Her lips turned down in a small frown. "But one thing. Is name Ranma? Or Akane?" She tilted her head, looking at him quizzically. "Or maybe airen call himself Ranma when girl, and Akane when boy, yes?"

In the next room, Akane almost fell to the floor in surprise, managing to catch herself barely in time.

Ranma thought fast. "Actually, you have it backwards. I use the name Ranma when I'm a boy, and Akane when I'm a girl."

Shampoo frowned more deeply. "That not sound right. Shampoo certain she hear you called Akane as boy." Then she shrugged, and hugged him tightly again, pressing her cheek against his hard chest. "No matter. Boy now. Name is Ranma. Ranma is Shampoo's airen. Wo ai ni." With this last sentence, she squeezed. Hard.

As the air rushed from his lungs, Ranma strove for freedom once more, desperation giving him strength. He finally got the girl's arms far enough apart to escaped her grip, sliding quickly to the other side of the tub. He hesitated to leap out, however, given his nudity and the question of what to do next. Stand there in front of Shampoo? Run into the outer room where Akane waited? Where the hell was his towel, anyway?

Ranma was growing more and more nervous about the entire situation, especially given the way the _nude_ Amazon was looking at him. Like he was a chunk of beef, and she was starving. Knowing that Akane was standing right outside the door, listening, didn't help any either. How did he end up in situations like this? For that matter, her mentioning the Kiss of Marriage wasn't calming his nerves any. What was with people trying to get him married? On the other hand, that reminded him ...

"Look, Shampoo," he began, taking a deep breath. "I distinctly remember that we told you - I have a fiancée. You didn't forget, did you?"

"Amazon law clear, Shampoo give Kiss of Marriage. Airen must marry Shampoo." She smiled, a grin so catlike that Ranma felt his nerves go even more taut. "Shampoo soon make airen forget other girls."

Outside in the changing room, Akane heard a low, quiet growl. After a moment, she realized with surprise that it was coming from her own throat.

Ranma had no idea what to say in the face of such a statement. So instead he asked, "Why were you a _cat_?"

The Chinese girl's smile shifted into a pout. "Shampoo have curse now, too." The smile returned to her face, although it trembled slightly. "That make us perfect couple, yes? Both have curse. Both understand."

The young man in the tab with her waved one hand slowly, back and forth, "Um ... ah ... 'perfect' - not the word I'd use." He finally spotted his towel, on the floor beyond Shampoo. "Let's discuss it later," he suggested, then leaped above her.

Shampoo's eyes went wide, startled, as she took in the view passing overhead. Craning her head back to look, she forgot to pay attention to the rest of her, and her rump slid along the bottom of the furo away from the wall. She slipped underwater with a squeak of dismay.

Ranma grabbed his towel and flung it around his waist, tying it off in an instant. He ran out the door to confront a scowling Akane, ducked past her before she could decide whether or not to hit him, and grabbed two yukata. He slipped his arms into one, dodged Akane again, and tossed the other through the open door, which he then slid shut. Grabbing Akane's hand, he pulled the sputtering girl out of the changing room into the hallway.

"Let go of me!" Akane finally spat out, tugging her hand free.

"Is any of this my fault?" he demanded, his voice rising as his own anger and frustration kicked in.

Akane merely glared.

"We gotta hide!" he insisted hurriedly. "Remember what she wants to do to us in our girl form? We can talk about this after we get away!"

He grabbed her hand again, yanking Akane down the hall with him. She didn't fight him this time, but was clearly unhappy. They stopped at the kitchen door.

Speaking rapidly to Kasumi's back, Ranma said, "Shampoo's back. She's in the furoba. Akane and I have to hide. Try to get rid of her." Then he sped off, pulling Akane behind him.

Kasumi spun around and stared in surprise at the empty doorway. Surely she couldn't have heard correctly? The young woman carefully put down the knife she was holding, rinsed her hands, then walked down the hallway. Just ahead of her a door opened and a head peeked out, purple tresses trailing behind, the countenance puzzled.

"Shampoo," Kasumi said faintly. "What a surprise. We all thought you were in China."

"Shampoo come back," the Amazon girl said with determination. "Remember give Ranma Kiss of Marriage. Where is airen?"

"I'm sorry, but he just left," the older girl replied, carefully not stipulating whether he had left the house or the hallway. For that matter, and for all she knew, Ranma might have left the house after he ran off. She only hoped he would remember to hide Akane as well, like he'd said in those few brief words.

Shampoo wasn't sure whether to pout or frown. Why was her airen always running away from her? Not that she didn't understand back when she was trying to kill her ... him. But why would he run away now? They'd had the opportunity for a wonderful private moment a few minutes ago, and it was quite irritating to have him take off like that.

Worse, based on previous experience, it would take much too long to track him down again. She'd already taken a long time to get here, and she had to be back at the subway station at the appointed hour to meet her father and great-grandmother. With a heavy sigh the young woman discarded the thought of finding Ranma again today, and said, "Thank you. Tell airen Shampoo see him later. Bye bye." With a wave she walked away.

Kasumi held up her hand and gave a tentative wave to the retreating figure. "Er, yes. Good-bye."

* * *

Ranma didn't stop running until he reached the top of the flight of stairs just inside the grounds of the shrine he had chosen as their hiding place. Now that he could hope they were safe, he felt that he deserved a rest. Turning to the right, he ambled over to a quiet corner which was out of sight of the street below. Not that he expected it to stay quiet for long. Akane followed close behind, simmering and close to an eruption.

The boy turned and said, "Okay, we should be safe enough for the moment. Go ahead and get whatever it is off your chest."

"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm mad about," Akane replied grimly. "You were embracing a _naked_ girl in our _furo_!"

"It ain't like I did it on purpose!" he responded, a trifle hotly.

"Oh, right! I could see how hard you were trying to get away!" The dark-haired girl's voice was drowning in sarcasm.

"She had a grip like steel!" Ranma protested. "I broke free as soon as I could, but it wasn't easy!" He paused, then added. "And I had to wait till you were out of sight. Who knows what she would have done if she'd seen you? She might try to carry out that Kiss of Death thing!"

"I can take care of myself!" Akane yelled.

"Maybe you can and maybe you can't," Ranma responded doubtfully. "But Shampoo seems pretty serious about the 'death' part of that Kiss of Death thing. Until we're sure that she ain't gonna try to kill you, I don't want to take any chances! Dying's a bit more serious than getting some bruises, you know!"

"So you want me to just stay out of sight while you cuddle and hug your Chinese girlfriend, huh?!" she demanded.

Ranma, just about at the end of his temper, went on the attack. "Hey, _you're_ the one who let her give you that Kiss of Marriage, remember? If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be stuck with this!"

Akane opened her mouth but then closed it again, unable to think of a rejoinder. Frustrated, her arm swung from the side, fingers extended and palm forward, prepared to give Ranma a slap which would lift him off his feet.

Only to have her swing interrupted as Ranma caught her wrist in an iron grip. Before she could strike with her other hand, that one was captured as well. Akane looked up to realize that a bare handful of centimeters separated them, their arms held out to the sides. She fancied she could feel his hot breath on her cheek. Hastily, the two of them backed away from one another.

Akane looked down, face rosy. "Yeah, well that ... that doesn't excuse you trying to make out with her."

Ranma almost growled. "I wasn't ... dammit, I thought you knew me better than that. She grabbed me, not the other way around. And we can stand here arguing about it all day if you want to, but that ain't gonna change nothing. The question is, what do we do about it? How do we get her to call off this Kiss of Marriage crap?"

The young woman eyed her alleged fiancé dubiously, but then decided to give the question some serious thought. "Well, she called off the Kiss of Death when she found out you weren't a girl. Do you think I can get out of the Kiss of Marriage by showing her I'm not really a boy?"

He shrugged. "Maybe. If she believes us. The question is, will she? Or will she think it's just a trick? What if she decides we're lying and that she gave me the marriage kiss and you the death kiss? What if she decides she can carry both promises out by marrying me and killing you? Seems kind of chancy, don't you think?"

Akane frowned. "How should I know? Okay, I gave you my idea. Let's hear yours then."

Ranma leaned against the wall and studied the clouds for a couple of minutes. "Seems to me it's just too dangerous to let Shampoo know about you. Not when we don't know what she might do. Marrying ... well, I don't wanna marry her, but it ain't like trying to kill me. If I just avoid her as much as I can, and tell her 'no' often enough, she's got to give up eventually." He paused before adding, "I hope."

Akane's gaze was skeptical. "Do you really think there's any chance of that working?"

The young man standing there wouldn't meet her eye. "It's the only thing I can think of. Except for telling her about you, and that's just too big a risk. And ain't you the one who didn't want anyone to know Shampoo kissed you? Now you want to tell everyone?"

Akane looked uncomfortable. "I didn't. Don't. I just don't think that hoping she'll give up is going to work either. But I can't think of anything else, except for silly things like running away from home."

"Wouldn't work anyway," Ranma replied morosely. "She'd just track us down again." He kicked at a rock. "And why the hell'd she have to get cursed to turn into a damned cat? I mean, out of all the pools at Jusenkyo, why a cat? Almost makes me believe that Fate really does have it in for us."

Akane turned and leaned her back against the wall beside Ranma. She let out a tired sigh. "When do you think it'll be safe to go home?"

"Never?" he answered hesitantly. Ranma snorted over his own response, then clarified, "At least, not until Shampoo goes back to China. But I suppose we're gonna have to risk it. It'll be time for dinner soon."

For a moment, Akane was nonplussed by his decision. How could he think of food at a time like this? Then his stomach gave a loud rumble, as if answering the question, and she chuckled weakly. "You and your stomach. It's going to be the death of you someday. Well, you're just going to have to wait a while before eating, baka."

* * *

Nothing more happened that night, although both teens felt a sense of unreality as they went through their usual routine, waiting for the axe to fall. Their dreams were filled with images of marrying a purple-haired Chinese girl in an elaborate ceremony, only to have her turn them into a girl with a splash of water at the end, followed by divorcing their head from their shoulders with a sword.

The sense of playing a part continued the next morning. When the teacher walked in for first period, they both chimed out, along with all the other students in their homeroom, "Good morning, sensei." As they did everyday. And just as usual, he responded, "Good morning." But then the procedure changed. Their teacher turned and looked first at Akane, then Ranma, saying, "Tendo-san, Saotome-kun, Principal Watanabe would like to speak to the two of you in his office. Please report to him immediately."

While their classmates stared, and one or two snickered, Akane and Ranma closed their books and stood up in mild embarrassment. They left the room together, walking down the hall slowly, wondering whether they were in trouble and, if so, how much.

"What ... What do you think this is about? Yesterday?" Akane asked nervously. "That wasn't our fault."

Ranma shrugged, and answered. "My guess? Probably about us tearing up the gym and destroying that tree. I suppose he wouldn't be too thrilled about that."

Akane swallowed, then grimaced. "I bet you're right. I remember how unhappy he was with Hibiki when his umbrella chopped down a tree. Back when that jerk first showed up. And that was just a little one. So I suppose he would be upset with us if we, uh, damaged one as bad as Nabiki said." She looked off into the distance. "You know, I've never been in any serious trouble before. At school. Nothing that would get me worse than holding buckets. Should my stomach feel this sick?"

"You get used to it," Ranma replied nonchalantly. "Not that it was usually my fault, but guys like Ryoga used to pick fights with me a lot at school. I've spent my share of time facing principals across their desks. But they've never done anything to me that comes close to some of the training pop made me do. I guarantee you we'll survive whatever's in store for us."

Remembering the so-called training which was responsible for the trouble they were in, Akane hunched her shoulders up to her ears, muttering, "You are _so_ comforting, Ranma Saotome." She stopped in front of the office door. "I suppose there's no use in putting this off."

"Nope," Ranma said cheerfully. He pushed open the door.

One of the secretaries immediately ushered the two students into the principal's office, closing the door behind them. They stepped forward, stopping and standing at attention in front of the desk. Watanabe finished typing something on his keyboard before turning and regarding the two teenagers, placing his elbows on the desk and steepling his fingers together.

"I have already spoken with the basketball coach and members of the team, a few other witnesses, Gosunkugi-kun, his parents, and the police," the principal began. "I have also been in contact with an attorney representing Tatewaki Kuno, who has sought to soften his client's position by offering to have the family pay for the damage to the stage and gymnasium floor. Although I was at first inclined to lay the blame elsewhere, the testimony so far indicates that the pair of you are responsible for most of the damage, including the destruction of a tree behind the gym which was planted when this school was first built. I would now like to hear what you have to say for yourselves."

Akane's legs trembled at the report of the damage, particularly to the stage and gym, certain that she was about to be expelled. Ranma took the matter more philosophically. "It wasn't exactly our fault, sir, even if we did do it. Akane and I have a, um, condition I guess you'd say. Kuno and Gosunkugi set it off. We weren't really aware of what we were doing."

The man behind the desk narrowed his eyes. "What sort of 'condition'? Are you trying to tell me the two of you were temporarily insane or something? When you did all of that? And if so, could you please explain why I shouldn't consider you to be too dangerous to have here in my school?"

Akane's chin started trembling, and Ranma suddenly became aware of how worried she was. He glanced her way and whispered, "Hey. Buck up. It'll be all right."

Watanabe also seemed to take notice at the same time. "You may take a seat, Tendo-san. Saotome-kun can explain."

Akane nodded and stepped backward, sitting in one of the chairs against the wall. She breathed deeply, hoping that Ranma could manage to explain in a way that would let them stay in school. The problem was, the thought of Ranma trying to explain caused her to grow even more worried.

Ranma proceeded to explain about the neko-ken training, and what he was like when he was in that state. He also described the idea the family had accepted for the time being, that Akane had somehow gained this odd problem at the same time as the curse. Unfortunately, the description of chi claws which could rip up gym floors and shred entire trees did nothing to set the principal's mind at ease.

Seeing the man's face harden and fearing what that might mean, Akane took another deep breath and gasped out, "Please, Principal Watanabe!" When he looked her way, she took a couple of more deep breaths and tried to find words to make a better impression.

"It ... It's, uh, not something that's likely to happen again. Ranma's encountered cats before, and this hasn't happened. It only seems to happen when we can't get away, like when we were stuck under the stage because of what Kuno and Gosunkugi-kun did. Any other time, if we saw a cat, we'd just run away."

"Still ..." the man said suggestively.

"And we didn't hurt any people, did we?" Akane went on, then faltered. "I mean, not badly. I guess we did scratch up Ranma's father, but he was the one responsible for the neko-ken in the first place."

"Kuno Tatewaki also suffered numerous scratches," the principal informed her. "Not that I intend to waste too much grief on that particular young man, particularly as he violated his probation in order to receive those injuries." He paused. "I'll admit that you don't appear to have injured any innocents. This time. But it's still worrisome." He drummed his fingers on the desk, thinking.

Finally he sighed. "I admit to having a soft spot for the two of you, and I don't want to penalize you for something which isn't your fault. In fact, we'll forget about the tree. This time, anyway. But I do need to think about the safety of the other students. So here's what I'll do.

"There's a psychiatrist who visits this school every Friday to counsel students. So she'll be here tomorrow. I want you two to collect your assignments and go home today. Tomorrow you'll report directly to her as soon as you get in. If she says you're safe, you can return to classes. If she says you need to be evaluated by someone else, you'll have to do that. If the final decision is that it's not safe to have you here ... well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I suppose we could work out something involving home schooling or the like. But ... I truly hope it doesn't come to that."

"So we get the rest of the day off?" Ranma asked for confirmation, his voice happy. "Gee, and you were afraid we'd get punished," he chortled to Akane, failing to note the horrified expression on her face as she gazed at him.

Watanabe put a hand over his face. "Collect your assignments from your teachers _first_, Saotome-kun."

Akane spoke up, her worry still present but under considerably more control. "You said you spoke to the police. Do you know what they've done concerning Kuno?"

The principal nodded. "Yes. He's back in jail for violating his probation. I don't have any high hopes that he'll remain there for any huge length of time, but the prosecutor in charge of his case thinks it likely that he and Kuno's attorney will come to a compromise of about a month. I'll let you know what they decide, since I've asked them to keep me informed."

He looked toward his computer, then back again. "Oh, and as for Gosunkugi-kun, he's on in-school suspension until Monday. I'm unsure of how much of this he went along with willingly, and how much he was pressured by young Kuno. But I have informed his parents that if there are any future incidents of this magnitude, that I may have no choice but to expel him." He paused, but then continued. "One more thing. I expect the two of you to allow the school to handle this. You will not seek retribution against Gosunkugi-kun personally. I trust that's clear."

"Yes sir," Akane replied dutifully. Ranma looked faintly rebellious, but didn't contradict her answer.

"All right, then, you can both leave. But I expect you to study and not treat this as a vacation. And if your parents have any questions for me, naturally they can call."

Akane stood up and bowed. Reminded of his courtesies, Ranma bowed as well. The principal nodded and the two teens left the room.

* * *

After everyone else left the house that morning, Kasumi finally had some peace and quiet in which to think. Life had certainly become a lot more exciting since the Saotome father and son showed up, and on balance she felt that she approved. After all, their arrival had been necessary for Akane to awaken from her coma, and Nabiki had definitely changed for the better since then. For that matter, both Akane and their father seemed happier these days.

Of course, there were - challenges - as well. At the moment she couldn't see how the situation with Shampoo was to be resolved, and had decided to be patient and await further developments on that front. This business with the neko-ken was actually worrying her more just at the moment. Almost, she found herself wishing that her father had caught Uncle Saotome yesterday before his ire had cooled.

Kasumi sighed, and repeated the calming mantra she had been using ever since her mother's untimely illness and death. What was done was done, and it was useless to waste worry over how her sister had come to suffer from this neko-ken. They would simply have to learn to live with it. The young woman would have to make sure to keep stray cats off of the property in future, and to avoid any other situations where either Akane or Ranma might encounter such. The two younger teens would need to avoid places such as the fish market in Ginza. In truth, it shouldn't cause much in the way of additional problems.

The young woman frowned. There was still one element in what Nabiki had told her which was of some concern. Told her in private, after the younger two had gone off yesterday. Although Nabiki had treated the photograph with amusement, it had troubled Kasumi slightly on first seeing it and hearing the tale, and the more she thought on it, the more bothered she became. Well, not bothered, perhaps. But it did bear thinking about. The problem was, even if this neko-ken wasn't likely to happen, that didn't mean it could absolutely be prevented. And if it did ... well, in that case, it was necessary to consider _all_ of the consequences. And much though she might prefer to hope for the best in all things, she would not fool herself by indulging in wishful thinking.

So, there was really only one thing to be done, wasn't there? Nor was there any sense in putting it off. As unlikely as it was for an incident such as yesterday's to be repeated, unlikely things could and did happen. Putting off unpleasant tasks merely meant running the risk that you were too late when you got to them. Mind made up, the young woman walked over to the telephone, checked the number in the book, and dialed.

A voice on the other end answered. "Hello. This is Dr. Koshino's office."

* * *

The rest of Thursday passed quietly enough - no running around thinking they were cats, no murderously violent Chinese Amazons, and Genma had been so unnerved by Soun's response to the situation that he was tiptoeing around behaving himself quietly for once. It helped that Soun had found one of his missing packs of cigarettes on the hall table.

On Friday, Akane and Ranma went to school as usual, but instead of going to homeroom class they reported to the office to meet with the psychiatrist. They had to wait a little while, until Principal Watanabe finished speaking with her, but then they were asked in. First both together, then one at a time, after which she gave them a set of tests to do. It was well after lunch when she finally finished checking through the tests and called the two students back in together to discuss the preliminary findings.

"I must admit, this has been one of the most bizarre cases I've ever dealt with," the woman sitting across from them said.

"But we _will_ be able to stay in school, right?" Akane said hopefully, asking for confirmation.

"Yes, as I already told you," the psychiatrist assured her. "The people I called and talked to after lunch all agree, you're only dangerous to someone attacking you. I intend to advise Principal Watanabe that you should not present a significant risk to the other students." She shook her head, still amazed over everything she had learned that day. "I wish I could suggest something to help you overcome your phobia, but desensitization training seems far too dangerous under the circumstances."

Ranma snorted. "Force us to be around cats? Yeah. _Real_ bad idea."

The woman sighed. "As I said. In any case, it's too late to return to class today. But you may expect to attend as normal on Monday. And good luck to both of you."

"Thank you," Akane said. She stood up, and Ranma joined her as they left the office.

"I suppose you're happy about that," Ranma commented out in the hall.

Akane frowned. "Yes. And you should be too. School's important."

The boy sighed. "Yeah, yeah. C'mon, let's get home. I have to train with my pop. I don't know why it had to take her all day just to decide we could stay in school."

Akane grabbed his hand and pulled him up a staircase. "Because she had to make calls to find people who had heard of the neko-ken, and then call those people to get the information she needed. You're just mad 'cause you were bored while you were waiting. I told you to bring your homework to work on."

Ranma ignored this. "Where are we going? She said we didn't have to go to class."

"Of course not," the girl pulling him replied. "The bell's going to ring in ten minutes. But we need to get our assignments."

"Aw, crud. That means _more_ homework."

"I told you to work on it," Akane repeated. Ranma stuck out his tongue at her.

A short time later they were on their way home, walking along the top of the fence. Akane was in front, and Ranma was urging her to go faster. "Hurry up, would you? I wanna get home and beat up on my pop."

"You can't," she told him.

"Huh? Why not? I _like_ beating up the old man."

Akane tried to appear disapproving, but a chuckle escaped her. "I know you do. Not today, though. Remember this morning? Kasumi said she wanted us to go downtown with her."

"Oh yeah," Ranma said, snapping his fingers. "Why? Where're we going?"

"We were both there, Ranma," she said peevishly. "Why ask me? She didn't say."

"Well, maybe she only needs you to go with her," the young man suggested. "You're her sister. No need for me to butt in while the two of you are shopping or whatever."

"Kasumi asked you to go, so you're going. End of discussion."

"But ..."

"_End_ of discussion," Akane emphasized. "You want me to move faster, I'll move faster, but you're going downtown with us." The girl took off running along the fence.

Grumbling to himself over the prospect of shopping with the two girls, Ranma took off running behind her.

* * *

"Wait a minute!" Ranma complained. "This isn't a store. The sign says it's a medical center. Why're we here?!"

Akane also wore a confused expression, but Kasumi remained unperturbed. "We're here because I made an appointment for the two of you to see a doctor. We're expected shortly. Now let's go in."

"But I'm not _sick_!" Ranma protested. "And if I was, I'd go to Doc Tofu."

The older girl set her hands on her hips. "The appointment isn't because you're sick. Please go in. _Now!_"

"Um, Kasumi?" Akane asked tentatively, stepping around her sister and through the open door. "What _is_ the appointment for? I don't know of any reason I need to see a doctor."

"It will be easier to explain when we get there," Kasumi insisted.

"Well, when did you make this appointment?" Ranma demanded. "Why didn't you tell us about it?"

"I only made it yesterday," she responded. "I explained that it was something of an emergency, and the doctor agreed to make time to see you today. I'll explain when we get there. Please trust me."

"But I'm not _sick_!" Ranma repeated.

Kasumi sighed. "Ranma-kun, are you _scared_ to talk to a doctor?"

The boy huffed. "Of course I ain't scared." Face twisting as if he smelled something bad, he stated, "Okay, fine. Let's just get this over with."

The three finally entered the building, Ranma scowling and Akane still confused. Kasumi led them straight over to an elevator, and together they rode up to the sixth floor. They turned left down a carpeted hallway, and eventually approached a door.

On reading the nameplate on the door, Akane stopped in shock. "Kasumi ... oneechan ... why are we _here_? Most of all, why is _Ranma_ here? You ... you can't ..."

Ranma studied the sign which was obviously bothering Akane so much. "Dr. Koshino? What's gyn-e-co-lo-gy?"

"I'll explain inside," Kasumi told him, hoping she could get him shut in a room where she could stand in front of the door while she explained. "We're here because of some issues related to your neko-ken problem. To try to make sure that nothing unfortunate occurs."

Akane's look of confusion returned. Ranma seemed enlightened. "Oh. We already saw someone about that at school. She agreed we won't hurt anyone who don't deserve it."

Kasumi decided not to contradict this assumption. "Nonetheless, please come in with me. For my sake?"

Ranma shrugged, pushed open the door, and walked inside. Kasumi made a gesture toward the door, then, when that didn't work, took hold of Akane's arm just above the elbow and gently persuaded her younger sister to follow. The door closed softly behind them.

Half an hour was spent waiting. Akane sat tensely, rigid, trying to figure out why she was there, and even more strangely why Ranma was there, yet afraid to ask. Kasumi sat calmly, reading a magazine. Ranma twiddled his thumbs, bored, wondering idly why all of the other patients were women. At long last the nurse who appeared regularly at the door to call people in came and said, "Akane Tendo and Ranma Saotome?"

A few minutes later, people throughout the medical center looked up, startled, at a baritone scream of "What?!"

Inside the room, Kasumi kept her back to the door, while the doctor leaned against the window, amused, and Akane sat very still in a chair, deeply embarrassed. Ranma's back was plastered to a wall, and he was looking around wild-eyed.

"I ain't a girl! Why'm I here?!" the young man demanded in horror.

"Have you forgotten your curse, Ranma-kun?" Kasumi inquired gently.

"But I don't plan to _use_ my girl parts!" Ranma pointed out at the top of his voice. "So there ain't no damned need to check them!"

"Ranma's right," Akane said, far more quietly but with determination. "I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm not planning to do anything anytime soon that ... well, I'm just not."

Doctor Koshino smiled faintly and pushed her glasses up her nose. "If it helps, I'm not planning to do an internal exam. For either of you. I plan to draw some blood, but that's it. Perhaps if you allowed your sister to explain?"

Akane turned toward her older sister. Ranma did so as well, and the depth of his unease was shown by the fact that he glared at the older girl.

Kasumi cleared her throat. "Did Nabiki tell you what you were doing when she found you? Before you woke up from the neko-ken state?"

Akane frowned. "Doctor Tofu said we were lying down beside each other."

"Wrapped intimately around each other is how Nabiki put it to me," Kasumi told Akane, carefully not mentioning the photograph their sister had shown her.

Both of the younger teens blushed deeply on hearing this.

"I've been worrying about it ever since," Kasumi continued. "What if this happens again? What if you aren't discovered as quickly next time? Nabiki said you were both acting like cats. It occurs to me that cats - animals - don't have the same concept of appropriate behavior as people."

"Nothing like that will happen," Akane whispered. "I promise."

"But didn't you say that you didn't remember who you were?" Kasumi insisted. "If you can't remember yourself, how do you know you'll remember that promise?"

Ranma looked back and forth between the two sisters. "What are you two talking about?"

"What she is suggesting," the doctor explained clinically, "is that while in an altered mental state, you and Akane Tendo demonstrated an attraction toward one another. A physical, potentially _sexual_ attraction." Ignoring his spluttering denial, she added, "Our concern is that if it happens again, you might ignore your human inhibitions and follow animal instincts instead. Meaning that the two of you might engage in sexual intercourse."

Akane's cheeks grew even more red. Ranma looked like someone had whacked him in the face with a two by four. "Ain't no way!" he shouted.

"But how can you be certain, Ranma-kun?" Kasumi asked softly.

"I'm sure!" Ranma declared while trying to back through the wall. "No way I'll do that just 'cause ... 'cause ... I think I'm a cat."

Akane, eyes closed, hands clenched in fists, striving for control, hoarsely proclaim, "What he said."

"And if you're wrong?" the doctor asked Akane coolly. "Are you willing to risk that you might end up pregnant?" She turned to Ranma. "Are _you_ willing to risk that _you_ might end up pregnant, if what Kasumi Tendo told me about your curses is true? Especially if a fairly simple precaution can avoid the risk?"

"Me? Pregnant?" Ranma squeaked.

"Yes. You, pregnant," the doctor confirmed. "If you're in your cursed forms at the time, and you're wrong about what you will or won't do."

"What precaution?" Akane whispered, wondering if maybe, just maybe, there might be a tiny chance it really could happen.

"Oral contraceptives," Doctor Koshino answered. "It's just a pill you take, every day, in your female form." She gave them both a long look. "Curiously enough, I've heard of Jusenkyo before, although the woman in question turned into a horse so the cases were hardly parallel. In any event, I will need to see your curses demonstrated, as I must do blood tests in both your normal and cursed forms. According to my discussion with the doctor who treated that case I mentioned - the woman with the horse curse - the hormones in your blood should change magically with the curse just like all of your tissues, which is why I think there's a good chance that the pills will work as long as you're female when you take them. We will need followup blood tests to check on that, of course."

Akane turned toward her sister, eyebrows rising into her hairline. "You want me to take the pill?"

Kasumi glanced away uncomfortably. "I wouldn't exactly say I _want_ that. But it seems like a good idea under the circumstances."

Ranma, trying to present a less nervous appearance, said, "Hey, Akane, you know, if it's just a pill they want you to take, what could it hurt?"

The doctor gave him a smile. "I want you to take it as well, Saotome-kun. Once a day, while you're in your female form."

"Me?" Ranma was all nerves again. "But I can't get pregnant! I'm a guy!"

"That seems not to be true when you get wet, or so I'm given to understand," she reminded him. "And as you said, it's just a pill. Isn't that better than taking the risk, however small, that I might have to face you in this room one day and tell you that you're pregnant?"

The argument continued for some time, although Akane surrendered fairly soon under pressure from her sister. Ranma finally folded when it was suggested that he lacked the sense to take a simple precaution which Akane was willing to use. The doctor drew blood from both teens in both genders, and informed Kasumi that she could pick up the prescriptions on Monday, provided the lab results showed what she expected to find. Akane and Ranma were both very quiet as they left the building with Kasumi. However Ranma, in particular, was fidgeting badly.

The older girl turned to the two younger teens and asked, "What do you say to going and getting some ice cream?"

Ranma shook his head. "You and Akane can if you want. I'm going for a run. I'll see you back at the house." With that he leapt to the roof of a nearby building, and disappeared across the rooftops.

Akane stared after him enviously. "Someday I'm going to be able to do that, too," she remarked.

"I'm sure you will," Kasumi agreed. "Now let's decide what flavor we should get? Chocolate? Fudge ripple? Chocolate chip? All three, maybe?"

Akane smiled for the first time since arriving at the medical center. "I vote for the last," she said, licking her lips in anticipation.

* * *

The roofs were a blur under Ranma's feet. He was finally regaining his calm. The idea that they expected him to take a pill to prevent ... well, it just didn't bear thinking about. He and Akane weren't like that. Not even in their regular forms, and definitely not with him as the girl! He tried to put it out of his mind again, focusing on the act of leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

The young man became aware of a blur in the distance, approaching rapidly. He continued toward it, curious. As they came together, his eye caught an attempted strike, and he dodged by instinct, swinging his legs up and around. Had that been a person, swinging a stick at him? He landed on the roof underneath, spinning around, raising his hands in a guard position.

He was facing a ... an old woman, perhaps? Balanced on a stick taller than herself. "Who are you?" he demanded, irritably.

The withered old face cracked into a grin. "You're not bad ... son-in-law."

"Son-in-law?" Ranma repeated, stupefied. "Wait, what?"

The old crone laughed. "We'll meet again," she told him confidently. Then she bounced away across the rooftops, vanishing in seconds.

"What the hell?" Ranma asked of no one in particular.

* * *

**Author's note:**

I apologize for taking so terribly long to get around to posting this chapter, especially since my pre-reader finished her part of the work back in December. Unfortunately, it's been taking me a lot longer to recover than I might like. I'm back at my job full-time and so forth, but I'm still a long way short of 100% of where I used to be. Plus, I think some of my medication may be damping my creative enthusiasm.

But fear not, I have not quit, and plan to go on writing. On the other hand, fear if you must, for the rate at which I produce chapters will probably continue to be abysmal, at least for a time.

_Related sites on the web:_ Please visit my profile page for information on upcoming chapters or stories, by clicking on my name at the top of this chapter. My profile also has links to my web site, LiveJournal site and forum. The web site contains the official versions of my stories. The LiveJournal site provides updates on what I am working upon at any given time. The forum is a place to discuss my stories or _Ranma 1/2_ in general.


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